Sea of Thieves
by Artemisdesari
Summary: How far will you go to save someone you love? How far to save a Kingdom? What do you do when doing the right thing clashes with your own morals? Rated to be safe. Now COMPLETE
1. Prologue

Sea of Thieves.

**_Disclaimer: I don't own it and I never will. I make no money from this endevour and seek only to silence the Muse who is singing in my mind._**

_So I've done it again, I've started a new fic without finishing the one that is currently screaming at me from one corner of my computer. I know why I don't want to finish Darkness, I will have to psych myself up to it. This is a work in progress and this is just a little teaser that gives the general idea for what I am doing. Please R&R, I can't make any promises for when the next part will go up, but it will be by this time next week._

Prologue:

Jaylen stood tall and proud before his father, Haldin, and his sister, Ilyinya, in his hand he held a jewel the size of one of his mismatched eyes. It was the same pale blue as the sky that shone over the Labyrinth, the same sky that shone over the Goblin Kingdom and he knew that this stone would be the perfect edition to the Goblin crown when he finally became king. King Haldin was shaking with rage and Ilyinya was pale with fear, both for her father and for her brother. Jaylen had no need of these weak fools.

"What have you done?" Halin demanded, finally losing all pretense of control. "Jaylen, what have you _done_?"

"You asked that already, father," his tone was cold, haughty and calculating. "I merely took what was owed me as a prince of this realm and heir to the throne."

"What you were... _Thetis_ is demanding that you return it! She's a goddess you young fool!"

"She's a _minor_ goddess, father, merely a Nereid, what does it matter?" He laughed and the sound was as chilling as his smile. "I paid her well for the gem, and this will make the perfect centre for the crown. The best example of the wealth of our Kingdom."

"Make no mistake, Jaylen, that jewel will _never_ be placed in the centre of the crown. You will return it to Thetis." Halin growled at his son. Jaylen simply smirked and held the glittering gem close to his chest.

"We shall see, Father, we shall see."

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The door to the throne room slammed open in a gust of powerful wind. Halin looked up from his throne and the goblin prostrated on the floor in front of him. At the sight of his visitor, he dismissed his gathered subjects and rose to approach her.

"Goddess," he bowed his respect to her, something clenching tight in his gut.

"Where is it, Halin?" She did not stand on ceremony. She stood tall and beautiful, her hair fell in long, soft sea green waves down her back, water dripped slowly from it to pool around her bare feet. Her skin was so pale it was almost translucent and her eyes were the same blue as the jewel that Jaylen had taken.

"My son refuses to return it, Thetis, he has hidden the jewel and despite our best efforts over the last few weeks, we have been unable to find it. I offer my sincerest apologies, and ask that you merely name your price, I will ensure that you are amply compensated for your loss." The immortal woman's eyes went dark, the brilliant blue of the sky becoming the colour of midnight. Outside the castle, the sky over the Kingdom became stormy and thunder could be heard rolling in the background. Thetis trembled in her blind fury and Halin found himself forced to take a step back from her.

"There is no amount of _money_ that can amend your son's actions. The worth of the stone is not to be found in it's pecuniary value! May there be a curse on your family and your kingdom! May water be your enemy! Let it be so until my property is returned to me!" Rain began to pour from the clouds, slowly at first, then gaining speed, until nothing could be seen through the thick sheets of water.

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It rained constantly for the next fifty years. Halin watched as his Kingdom changed, streets became rivers, goblins began to live in boats and the Kingdom suffered. Nothing grew, there was little sunlight to allow for it. Much of the Kingdoms wealth was spent bringing in food and helping his people to survive. Still Jaylen refused to return the stone, instead he threw his wealth into the sea, hoping to placate the angry goddess in that way. The only change it brought was that the rain fell harder over the castle.

In the seventieth year of rain, Jaylen was killed when he dived into the flooded river to save one of his hounds, the creature was washed away as they were hunting in one of the drier forests. It was with both sorrow and trepidation that Halin buried his son in the catacombs beneath the castle. He knew that he would never find the jewel now. After seventy years of searching he had been unable to find it, Jaylen had refused to tell him where it was hidden and would never have given it back.

Thirty years after the death of his son, Halin was again visited by Thetis. The goddess had not changed, had not aged and as she stood before him, her long gown of woven green sea weed moved gently about her ankles. She was more calm this time, there was more sorrow in her stance than anger. However, when she saw the king and made eye contact, she knew what he could not tell her. Halin's wife was by his side, her lavender eyes full of shame for the actions of her dead son, Thetis gestured to the mermen who accompanied her and they went to the queen, taking an arm each and leering down at her. Several goblin guards moved forward, but Halin held up his hands and they relaxed back.

"Goddess, please, violence towards my wife will solve nothing." He tried to keep the peace. Thetis merely shook her head and the mermen pulled Queen Lati from the throne. "Goddess, _please_, do not punish my wife for my son's mistake!" Thetis turned tp leave the throne room, Lati in tow. Finally the Goblin Queen broke down in tears and it was those tears that caused Thetis to relent. She gestured again and the mermen released Lati.

"I will return every century until you find my property, be warned, Halin, I will not be so lenient next time."

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For thirty centuries Thetis came to the Goblin Castle and for thirty centuries she was denied her hearts desire. After the rain of the first century, the Kingdom was sunk into drought for several millennia. So the cycle continued.

Then, eighty-five years after Thetis' last visit, a girl came, a girl who had wished away her brother. She fought her way through the Labyrinth and destruction came in her wake. In the destruction, the ancient catacombs were opened and during the repairs a jewel was discovered, a jewel that was as blue as the sky that had once been above the Goblin Kingdom. The king kept it safe, confident that in fifteen long years, the drought would be over and his home and lands could begin to prosper once more.

Unfortunately, fifteen years leaves a long time for things to go wrong.

_So basically I wondered why, with all of the power he has, does most of the Labyrinth seem to be this delapidated ruin, dusty and dry with no sign of water. Only the garden was lush and green, it made me think, perhaps a little too much... There is a reason that I'm mixing Greek and Celtic legends, a) I thought it would be fun and b) I will reveal to you in a later chapter! R&R, you all know how much I love it!_

_Artemis_


	2. Fourteen Years Later

_Ok, so I know that I said that this would be a few more days, I lied, I managed to finish it a little quicker than I had thought and even though it's short, all my fics start with these short little teaser chapters as I find my way through the fic. I know that this is frustrating for those of you who like something to get your teeth into, but bear with me I may have a complete idea of where I want to get to, but I have to find my way there and there is no map for this kind of thing._

_So big thanks out to my first seven reviewers: yodeladyhoo, FireShifter, notwritten, Avispa, Skyrere, ScarlethasPheonixpower and FaerieatHeart13. Oh and they always say to write what you know, this is what I know and I wanted to use one of my favourite places in a fic... I'm a sucker for that kind of thing. _

Chapter 1: Fourteen Years Later.

Since her time in the Labyrinth Sarah had grown and matured. All of the potential of her fifteen year old self had been fulfilled and now, at twenty-nine, she was an attractive young woman. She had curves in all of the right places, a brilliant smile and green eyes that shone like precious gems. She had decided to keep her hair long and wore it braided down her back as she trailed Toby.

They were in the old ruins of Tintagel Castle in Cornwall. Sarah had moved there to be with her long distance boyfriend five years before. Even when he had been killed in a car accident two years later, she had decided to stay. She had fallen in love with the Cornish countryside and despite the painful memories that sometimes threatened to overwhelm her, she loved her life here. Tintagel Castle was one of her favourite places, this was a place that felt rich with magic and wonder, she could feel it in every stone and could easily believe that this had once been the home of King Arthur. It seemed that Toby also felt it.

Karen and Robert had finally gone on the two month tour of Europe that they had always wanted to take and had left fifteen year old Toby with his older sister, unwilling to contend with a hyperactive teenager while they were trying to relax. Toby was now a lot taller than Sarah, in her mind she compared his height to Jareth's. His hair was still the golden colour it had been when he was a child, now worn a little longer than was fashionable and his eyes had remained that same brilliant blue.

"Sarah! Come and see Merlin's cave!" He shouted from the beach, earning them both reproachful glares from tourist and local alike. Everyone around them seemed to be content to soak up the magical peace that was in the air as the sea crashed into the cliffs and the beach, to have it so disturbed seemed to be almost sacrilege. Sarah scrambled down the rocky path to the stony beach, picking her way across sea weed and stray pieces of rubbish until she reached the large cave in the cliff under the castle. If she was honest, it did not even look entirely stable and the feeling she got from it, whilst still one of magic, was not the same as the peace the rest of the ruin evoked. Instead it had an undercurrent of danger, a similar feeling to the one that she had experienced around the Goblin King.

There he was again, the Goblin King and his Labyrinth. More and more of late he had been creeping into her mind. Late at night when she found herself alone and sleepless her mind would often drift to those hours in the Labyrinth and the tall Fae who ruled over it. A creature that seemed to ooze sexuality and desire, a creature that she could not forget as hard as she might try.

She shook herself from her thoughts and began to make her way into the cave. Toby had long since disappeared inside and Sarah frowned as she realised that she had lost sight of him. The cave smelt damp and musty, once inside it was almost pitch black, only the tiniest funnel of light shone in near the front.

"Toby!" She shouted and heard it echo around her, she called his name again and muttered as she walked into what seemed to be the wall at the back of the cave. "_Toby_! This isn't funny!" She hissed as she felt along the wall, finding that the cave did not stop, but continued along into the mainland. She followed, frowning as the cool air began to grow warm.

"Toby!" Oddly this time her voice did not echo, but she failed to notice as she followed the cave wall towards the warmth and now there was a dusky red glow ahead of her. She frowned again as what was in front of her finally came into view.

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Toby had gone into the cave without a moments thought of whether or not his older sister was following him. There was a magic and a song about the cave that seemed to draw him in and as he made his way through the cave it only seemed to pull him closer. It smelt damp and the musty quality grew more overpowering as he made his way through. When the cave turned he smiled and followed it, not surprised when it began to warm up and less surprised when he saw the dusky orange light at the other end.

The chamber he emerged into was large, in the centre a pool of water bubbled away merrily and the glow came from a number of strange orange stones that were dotted around the chamber, softly illuminating piles of gemstones and gold. He took a quick breath, amazed at the riches that were now displayed before him. Toby did not know what he had expected to find at the back of the cave, he did not even know why he had felt such a pull, but what he saw far outreached anything that he may have thought he would find.

He moved further into the cavern, something crunched underfoot as he walked, but he ignored it, and bent down, looking at the various jewels and coins. The feel of them running through his fingers was almost intoxicating and he spotted a large emerald, almost the same colour as his sister's eyes. Toby picked it up and held it up to the light at the other end of the room, looking deep into it and failing to notice as the steaming pool behind him rippled and something began to emerge.

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Jareth looked out over the Goblin City. The sun was setting, turning the sky a dusty orange that began to fade into that never ending black of the night sky. The place that held his gaze was where the orange and black mixed, creating an expanding line of velvety purple. The first time he had seen it, after the first six centuries of his life surrounded by endless rain, he had thought it was a beautiful miracle. Now it was just a reminder that the last three centuries had been nothing but drought, a drought that was having a far worse affect than the rain ever had. His kingdom was dying, was already dead, almost beyond repair and even if Thetis lifted the curse that day or the next, he doubted that it would _ever_ recover.

As the drought had continued the temperature had risen and even Jareth, powerful as he was, had now found that he could no longer remain oblivious to the heat. Fourteen years before, the temperature in the Labyrinth had been that of a warm summers day, now it stifled even him. He had forgone his breeches that fitted him like a second skin, wearing them only when he had to respond to a summons, instead he wore light, loose linen trousers with his usual poets shirt that was open low on his chest, revealing pale skin and a toned stomach. Jackets and waistcoats in his everyday wardrobe had become a thing of the past as he was forced to seek comfort over appearance. To that end, he had also ceased to wear his calf hugging knee high black boots, opting instead for soft leather shoes and if he were judged simply by his choice of wardrobe, he would appear to be no more than a lesser noble or a richer farmer. Yet even such simple clothes looked regal on his lithe figure as he looked out over his waning kingdom.

There was not even the hint of a breeze where he stood on the roof of the tallest tower in the castle, the warm tiles of the roof burnt the soles of his feet even through his shoes and he shrugged off the discomfort. In the distance he could see a convoy making its way through the desert outside the walls of the Labyrinth, winding through the barely alive remains of farms as it brought water from other nearby kingdoms within the Underground to be used to try and replenish the nearly dry wells. Even the fountain in the square had dried up years ago and the pool at the gates into the Labyrinth had become nothing more than an empty pit of dust and death not long after Sarah's visit. The garden where the wise goblin lived with his animated hat was now nothing more than dry twigs, sacrificed when the need for water became greater than the need for ornaments, and the bog was little more than a tiny, stinking pool, surrounded by solid, cracked mud flats. It seemed that not only had Sarah's arrival heralded Jareth's only defeat, it had also been the beginning of the end for his kingdom.

Night had fallen completely by the time Jareth heard raised voices searching for him. He sighed and transformed into an owl, the act of shifting form using less magic and effort than transporting himself would have, and leapt from the roof, flying into the night and away from the problems that had plagued him for five hundred years.

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Sarah entered the cavern, staring in wonder at the orange light opposite her entrance, squinting as her eyes adjusted to the strange light and trying to see her brother amongst the glittering piles of riches. Something crunched under her feet as she moved forwards and she paused to look, hoping that it was simple more of the gold and gems that she could see piled around her. It was with some revulsion that she realised that what was under her feet was bones and she let out a shocked gasp, taking a step back before she bent to examine them. While she freely acknowledged that she was no expert, the bone she picked up seemed too small to be a horse or cattle bone, and she entertained the hope that it was that of a goat or sheep, but another glance told her all she needed to know. Directly opposite her was a skull, a human skull, the eye sockets hollow and dark, gold coins had been shoved between the teeth, giving the grin the appearance of greed and she fell back into on of the heaps of coins with a low cry.

"Sssssss," she heard the noise behind her even as something rustled and clinked in the same direction. She turned a little fearfully.

"Toby," she whispered before coming face to face with something out of a dream.

It was long and thin, it's face almost wolf like, yet the tongue that could be seen in it's gaping maw was as forked as a snakes. It was covered in scales of deep green and pale blue, it's underbelly in a soft silver. It had short front and hind legs, with a long tail that came to a whip like tip, the creature was not quite your typical sea serpent, but not like anything else she had read about either. It was not what the creature may or may not have been that worried her, not even it's teeth could bother her at this point. All she cared about was that Toby was somewhere in this cave with that thing.

_It felt right to end it there. Again I'll say a week until my next update. I'm babysitting tomorrow and I'm working more than is really healthy at the moment so I can't guarentee it any sooner. But you will get it and I hope it will be longer! Until then, please R&R!_

_Artemis_


	3. Bargains and Journeys

_Next offering to the temple of Fanfiction! I hope you enjoy it and again I ask that if you read it, you review it! Please? Thanks go out to all who read and bigger thanks to those who have reviewed: FaerieatHeart13, Avispa, notwritten, yodeladyhoo, Skyrere and ScarlethasPheonixpower. Again I apologise that this is a little short, they seem to be ending themselves where it is natural._

Chapter Two: Bargains and Journeys.

Sarah stared up at the thing looming over her, taking a step back, the smell of its breath was overpowering and she moved away more for that reason than in fear. It hissed again and she finally felt a thrill of terror as she realised what she was looking up at. It was a water dragon. Naturally it had no wings, what would a creature that dwelled under the water need with those? The final clue had been in the horns that had risen from their flattened position along its neck as it had hissed at her.

"P-p-please," she stammered and she mentally cursed herself for a fool. If she could face down Jareth and barely bat an eyelid, but when faced with a dragon she became the damsel in distress. "Is my brother in here?"

"Thief!" It spat at her and she took another step away.

"No, I'm not, I'm just looking for my brother!" She hastily dropped the bone she still held and wiped her hands nervously on her skirt. The dragon's head swayed from side to side as it looked down at her.

"He is the thief. He shall be punished!" Sarah's jaw dropped and she found her feet at the edge of the steaming pool in the centre of the cavern.

"I'm sure he didn't mean to... I'm sure it wasn't his intention to steal."

"Intention? You know all that happens in his mind?" The accompanying laugh made Sarah's blood ran cold and one of her feet slipped as she debated trying to move further away from the dragon. It drew its head back and she felt herself stabilise. "I will punish him. You will leave."

"No! Please, I have to have him back!" She shook off the feeling of deja vu and forced herself to move away from the edge and underneath the dragon's gaping maw. "Tell me what I have to do!" Again the dragon laughed and Sarah balled her fists at her sides, willing herself to look braver than she really felt. "Please," she whispered again and was appalled when it sounded more like she was begging and less like a demand. The laughter stopped and the magnificent creature looked down at her, its face curious.

"What would you trade for your brother?" It questioned.

"Anything." She looked down at herself, at her clothes and the jewellery. She wore a summer skirt, long and floaty, with a simple white, fitted shirt. Her jewellery consisted of a heavy silver bangle on her left wrist and a long chain with an emerald pendent, her most prized possession, given to her by Thomas three days before he was killed. She fingered it and saw the dragon staring. "This?" She reached back to unclasp the chain and saw it shake its head.

"No, that trinket is worthless. There is a jewel, the colour of the sky, in the possession of the Goblin King. The jewel is worth more to him than his kingdom. Bring me that and I will release your brother."

"But I have no way to get there!" She protested, more against the idea of having to ask Jareth for something than actually going to the Labyrinth again.

"The entrance to the Underground is there," the dragon swung its head towards the opening opposite the place where she had entered the cave. "You have two weeks to return with the jewel or your brother is mine to do with as I see fit."

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The air outside was hot, she could feel it burning into her skin as she left the relative safety of the cave and walked into the unknown. She was by the sea, but not even a breeze stirred the soft golden sand and the sea did not so much roar in as trickle, the tiny waves lapping at the tide line instead of crashing over it. Sand flicked over her feet as she walked towards solid ground, sliding as the sand shifted under the pressure, the tiny particles burning where they touched her feet through the sandals. She squinted against the sun and pulled her sunglasses out of the large, heavy shoulder bag she was relieved to find that she still had. The action made her pause and she pushed the sunglasses on over her eyes before she stopped and began to root through. Her purse was still there, not that she would need it for the next couple of weeks, along with the two bottles of water that she had brought along and the sandwiches for hers and Toby's lunch that day. She also pulled out a small sketch book, a notepad, pens and pencils. Aside from the meagre amount of food and water, not a lot of what she had was going to be of any use to her as she made her way to the Goblin City.

With a sigh, she packed everything back into her bag and began to walk again, ripping a strip of fabric from her skirt, using it to tie back her long hair, keeping it off her neck and therefore helping her to stay a little cooler. She could not remember the Underground having been this hot the last time she had been here, but then, she had not had the time to focus on the weather. Time was still against her now, but there was more of it and that gave her chance to come up with a new plan.

She walked for hours, until night began to fall and finally a chill came to the too hot atmosphere. Miserably she sat on the hard ground, she had not seen a sign of another living being all day and it was by sheer luck that she had found the road that she was now walking along with no idea of whether she was going in the right direction or not. She had eaten one of the sandwiches as she had walked, but only drunk enough water to stop her mouth from going dry. She was exhausted and she curled up in the dust, pulling the jumper she had tied around her waist on, before adjusting her skirt so that it covered her feet and falling into a restless sleep.

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When she awoke the next morning, she was stiff and sore, she had bruises in places she did not know could _get_ bruises and her muscles were screaming. She pushed herself upright and put her hand to her head, dehydration had given her a headache and she forced herself to take only a few sips from the bottle instead of draining it. After she had wetted her lips and allowed herself to eat another of the sandwiches, she stood and began to walk in the same direction she had been headed in the day before.

It was not long before her feet began to hurt and she could feel blisters forming where the sandals had rubbed the day before, sand still stuck between the straps and her skin. Now she had to make herself walk with the pain and the need for water, hours passed and hunger also began to gnaw at her. She forced herself to keep moving, her limp slowing her and she began to wonder why she had not seen another living soul. All around her were signs that the land had once been populated, in the distance she could see a house, and at one point she could see that the land had been farmed. Now it seemed abandoned.

By the end of the second day she had reached a farm, it was completely abandoned, the only sign that it had recently been inhabited was the row of tiny tombstones just by the front door. Sarah knocked once before pushing the door open and stepping inside. She looked around her, thinking at first that the small room was uninhabited, but closer examination showed that there was someone in the corner, huddled into a tiny ball. She took a step closer and reached a hand out to the small form. It was a goblin, barely breathing and completely unconscious, his clothes were ragged and he was emaciated and very dehydrated. In the corner there was a bucket covered by an old rag and she lifted the corner to see clear water. Relief flooded through her and she scooped a small amount out with one dust covered hand, taking a drink before grabbing the cup beside it and taking the life giving liquid to the goblin huddled in the corner, tricking a small amount into his mouth. He coughed and weakly pushed her away as he began to regain consciousness.

"Do not waste it on me," he rasped to her. "Save it for yourself. Do not suffer for your kindness." She stared down at him, felt tears sting at her eyes and knew that to cry would be a waste of water that was obviously so scarce in the Goblin Kingdom. She poured a little more water into the goblin's mouth, insisting that he drink it whether he wanted to or not.

"Please, I need to ask you, how do I get to the Goblin City?"

"You do not truly wish to go there, child?" He whispered, his voice catching in a still too dry throat. His eyes slid closed again as she nodded emphatically. "Follow the road away from the sea. It is two days away. Take the water, you will need it more than I."

"But what about you?" She stared at the frail form and knew the answer even before she had asked the question. The goblin's eyes were cloudy with pain as it met hers and he seemed to sigh as she picked him up and carried him over to one of the beds that had been pushed into the corner of the room, away from the bucket of water and what would have been the kitchen. The goblin had passed out by the time that she laid him on the bed and she heard a bleating sound coming from outside. She peered out of the window and saw a nanny goat, her udders heavy, she was calling to be milked and even though Sarah really did not know what she was doing, she found a large bowl and went out to her anyway, the milk would make a good, if brief, substitute for food and water. Before going outside she laid the fire and set light to it, coaxing it into life.

After nearly an hour of attempting to milk the goat in failing light, and the bowl having been kicked over twice, once landing on her skirt, Sarah had finally gained half a bowl of goats milk and she began to go through the larder to find something to put with it. The larder was almost bare and all she could find was some flour and crystalised honey. Deciding to make do with what she had she mixed the flour and milk in a bowl until it formed a thick, sticky paste and added the honey to the warm mixture. She shaped it into rough cakes and placed them on a slate near the open fireplace, not really sure how the lumpy mess would turn out but hoping that they would at least be a little edible.

She was unsure how long to leave them for and was hesitant to go outside and use the sandy dirt to scrub the sticky mess off her hands, she was even more reluctant to use the little water inside the house, an examination of the well when she had gone to milk the goat had told her that it was completely dry and that the water in the bucket was the only water nearby. After a few moments scrubbing, she rose and went back into the little house, looking down at the sticky lumps on the slate and wondering if they _would_ turn out alright after all. Once they had gone golden brown, though they were still flat, Sarah pulled them from the fire, blowing on her burning fingers, and dropped them onto a rag covered plate.

It was almost with a sense of trepidation that she picked one up and nibbled on it. It was a little dry and there was not much flavour to it, but it would do and if she rationed them, she knew that she would have enough to last her the two day journey to the Labyrinth, even if it meant that she _would_ be bored of them by the time she reached the castle. After eating two of them and drinking another handful of water, Sarah checked on the goblin and curled up in the spare bed.

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When she woke the next morning, Sarah's first action was to check on the goblin. He was cold and stiff, he had died as she slept. She felt a little guilty that she had simply slept the night through whilst he had spent his last moments alone and she shed a couple of tears for him. She packed up her things as the goblin's cold body lay on the bed, the heat of the day seeping into the house, even through the stone walls and she could almost feel the accusing, dead gaze of the goblin and another twinge of guilt hit her as she realised that she had not even known his name. The thought made her stop her actions and she began to hunt for a shovel. It took her some time to notice that the goblin did not seem to have one and a few moments more to realise that he must have dug the graves outside with his bare hands. Even though she knew that she did not have the time to dig a proper grave and do the poor creature justice, she felt that she owed it to him, to repay him for his kindness to her.

The work was back breaking and thirsty and Sarah's soft hands were raw and bleeding by the time she was through burying her kind host. She stood over the grave, not sure what to say, whether a prayer would be appropriate, and then went back into the house. She flung the cloth off the bucket of water and filled her now empty water bottles with the clear liquid before drinking her fill. It was stagnant and the temptation to spit it out was great, yet as much as she knew that she would probably suffer the consequences of drinking the water later, it was all that she had access to and all that it was likely she would for a long time. With the little that was left, she scrubbed at the milk stain on her skirt, now ruined beyond repair, knowing that she was a state and not fit to be seen, then gave up and turned from the little farm house and the silent graves at the front, walking towards her greatest fear and her only hope.

The third and fourth day passed in the same manner as the first, she did not come across any more abandoned farm houses and the dwellings she _did_ find, always had locked doors and windows. It seemed that the goblin she had encountered was not an isolated case, the whole place seemed to be in the grip of something terrible. She continued to walk and by midmorning on the fifth day, she was at the walls of the Labyrinth and searching for the entrance.

_My little offering to you. I know that we already saw an idea of what was happening through Jareth's eyes, but we also need to see what Sarah sees. Again I will say that my next part will be posted by this time next week and hopefully it will be a little longer than the last couple of bits. Please let me know what you think, reviews are always useful!_

_Artemis_


	4. Arrival

_Yay, another chapter and I gift it to you all! Officially I've lost it, made worse by the awesome episode of Dr. Who I saw yesterday, it's frazzled my brain! Moving onwards. Lots of you have asked if the dragon belongs to Thetis. He doesn't, unfortunately for Sarah and Jareth, there are many more water deities, Thetis was one of seven sisters so you can see my problem. As to the rest of it... well lets just say that the pair of them are being incredibly stubborn. Thanks to all who have read, more thanks to my reviewers: sweetbabby33, FaerieatHeart13, notwritten, Avispa, ScarlethasPhoenixpower, FireShifter and yodeladyhoo. All amazing people!_

Chapter Three: Arrival.

Jareth looked at the bill in front of him, the charges for conveying yet another four wagon loads of full water barrels across the desert that his kingdom had become was higher than he had ever thought it could be. He was surprised that there was still enough in treasury to pay for the necessary water, even though he was rationing it as best he could, that there was now only two horses left in the kingdom and that he, himself, had gone without water for nearly three days to ensure that his people got some of what they needed.

Something tugged on the edge of his awareness and he signed off his permission for the bill to be paid before summoning a crystal to his gloved hands. Despite the almost unbearable heat, he had no desire to remove the thick layer of leather that was all that was between his hands and the outside world. The trouble with the heat was that it made the use of his magic all that much more difficult and it took a few more moments of concentration than he would have liked before he was rolling the crystal across his fingertips and the backs of his hands, staring into the moving orb in mute fascination. The Labyrinth was warning him of an intruder and it was with some surprise when he saw who was wandering the crumbling corridors. With a frown and an all too worrying flicker, he transported himself to the dusty garden.

Sarah was stood there, looking around at the devastation and Jareth could almost have been certain that he could see tears in her eyes. She had grown since the last time he had seen her, not in her height but she had filled out in all the right places. To his amusement, the normally immaculate woman that he had looked in on from time to time in the last fourteen years was ragged and worn. She seemed to have the weight of the world on her shoulders and he wondered what mess she had gotten herself into this time to have wound up back in his kingdom. Despite the dirt and the torn, filthy clothing, she was still breathtakingly beautiful and he felt the stirring of long held lust, he had long ago realised that lust was not the same thing as love.

She did not notice him as her hand slid into the large shoulder bag she carried and drew out a bottle of water, unscrewed the lid and took a few tiny sips, barely enough to wet her lips and nowhere near what it would take to prevent dehydration. He was impressed, despite his misgivings about her return, and cleared his throat to alert her of his presence. She flinched and turned, her lips parting in surprise and it did not shock him to see that she had caught the sun.

"Jareth," she whispered his name with something a little like dismay and he felt a twinge deep in his gut before he found her arms around his waist and her head buried against his chest. "You're real," she muttered then and he was disturbed at how much he liked the feel of her warm breath across his exposed chest. "You're real, oh thank God you're real." He chuckled.

"God has little to do with it, Sarah," he put his arms around her and squeezed before pushing her away to hold her at arms length and look at her. Her green eyes were guarded and there was a desperation to the way that she had held on to him that had him concerned. "Why should I not be real? What have you gotten yourself into this time?" She looked trapped as she stared back at him. Moving away to hide her moment of thought.

"Nothing that should worry you," she forced herself to say after only a moments hesitation. "I just need a place to stay for a couple of nights. I got lost in a cave and the only exit I could find brought me here." A complete lie and looking up at the handsome Goblin King, a word that could not truly describe his perfection, she felt the first cut of betrayed faith. If the dragon was right and this jewel meant more to Jareth than his kingdom, he would not just give it to her if she asked for it nicely. Her first task would be to find out where it was kept and how she could reach it. She would deal with the fall out later.

Jareth raised a delicate eyebrow, completely aware that Sarah was lying and determined to find out the real reason behind her return. In the decaying garden, she was a refreshing breath of fresh air, her unkempt beauty brought the dead area to life and he found himself wanting to give her what she had requested, a place to stay for a few nights, even if he knew that it was a lie, even if his head was screaming at him that this was a bad idea, his heart wanted Sarah near and his heart had been denied for too long.

"It _is_ my concern, Sarah, you are here are you not?" She seemed to flinch and it made him wonder what about him it was that made her so afraid.

Sarah felt a rush of heat run through her at the way he said her name, the way he had stepped closer to her, clothed in light linen and soft leather, so far from the clothes he had worn before, and she knew that the heat was not from the sun or the apparent drought. She had not missed that the land around her was dry, the once soft ground no more than compacted dust, her hands could testify to that. She moved closer to him, so close that they were almost touching, not able to deny the sexual appeal this tall being had, or the magnetic pull it had on her. She was old enough to know that she wanted him and it made her future course of action all that more repulsive to her.

"This was not where I intended to end up, Jareth," she admitted and saw his eyes light up as she said his name, "I didn't get out of bed four days ago to wind up here." She could not keep the dismayed exhaustion from her voice and somehow he recognised it and put a hand to the small of her back, both of them were surprised when she did not slap it away, allowing him to lead her forwards and towards a short cut to the city.

The walk was taken in complete, awkward, silence that neither one wanted to break. Sarah wanted time to think on the uncomfortable new development in her feelings, that way that her heart had begun to pound when he came near her and how right it felt for him to lead her with his hand at the small of her back, giving her the freedom to pull away if she so chose. She wanted him, she wanted him with all of her soul, seeing him as she had when he had come across her, in the baggy linen trousers and the half open cotton shirt, she had feared that he was a dehydrated delusion but had taken the risk anyway, taken the risk of running into his arms and reassuring herself that he was _there_, breathing in his spicy magical scent, something that made him more real than even simple touch could. The way he said her name made her tingle with desire and ... something else, something that she did not want to consider, it made her have to remind herself that he had something she wanted, something that she would probably have to take without permission, something that she would have to steal and the idea made her sick to her stomach.

Jareth, too, did not want to break the silence, he needed the time to think, to consider his next move. He had watched her over the past fourteen years. At first he had been able to convince himself that it had been to discover how she had managed to defeat him, convinced that she must have some form of magic to have been able to make it through the Labyrinth. Over time, however, he had come to realise that it was simply her single minded determination, something he found she applied to all aspects of her life, that had allowed her to defeat him. By that time it had been too late, he had lost himself to her, heart, mind, body and soul. He was hers and he knew that if it was within his power to help her, if she dared to tell him what she needed, then he would do it. Though when put that way, there was not much within his power right now, the heat was taking his energy, his strength and his magic from him.

When they finally reached the castle, Jareth lead Sarah to a set of chambers where she could freshen up. They were furnished with dark wood and drapes in deep blues and reds, they looked comfortable and lived in. Sarah turned and frowned at him.

"Who's are these?" She asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"Mine," he admitted with a shrug, this was not exactly the way that he had wanted Sarah to see his chambers for the first time, but he did not have any others made up. "I thought you would wish to freshen up a little. There is not much water to spare for a bath, but I will have some sent up so that you can wash the worst of your journey from you. If you like, I shall also have a change of clothes sent up." He tried not to pull a face as he looked at her filthy, tattered skirt, stained with the Underground only knew what, the once white shirt a mucky brown and sweat stained and her glorious hair greasy and matted, that, at the very least, he could help with. He waved his hand and produced a crystal, holding it out to her. Sarah ignored it.

"These not good enough for you?" She demanded, gesturing to her travel worn clothes even though, deep down, she was grateful for his seeming generosity, part of her screaming that there was always a price and that price would be more than she was willing to pay. Jareth simply raised an eyebrow, twirling the crystal over his hands, and then shrugged. "Is there some _reason_ I have to freshen up in _your_ room?"

"Merely that no other chambers have been prepared yet. Believe me, Sarah, I have only your best interests in mind." That and the best interests of his nostrils and eyes. Beautiful as she was, even sunburnt and travel stained, she had obviously not had access even to a minimal amount of soap and water in the last few days, not only did she look it, but she smelt it too and his nose was sensitive enough as it was.

"What will this cost me? Nothing you do is without a price, Goblin King." She informed him with a toss of her head and wasn't this just something that he already knew. He never did anything without a price because it was expected of him.

"Nothing you won't be able to pay," he smirked and her eyes narrowed. "Dinner, with me." She looked like she was about to protest, then closed her mouth and nodded, evidently deciding that dinner was the lesser of any evil he could force upon her. He held the crystal out to her and reluctantly, she took it.

"It will help with your hair, remove the dirt and the snarls." Her lips parted in an 'oh' of surprise and he found himself smiling at her. "Not everything I do is cruel, Sarah. I know the meaning of kindness." He turned and left as a goblin walked in with a basin and a jug of warm water. "I will send you something to wear shortly. When you're ready, I would appreciate it if you would meet me in my study." He said over his shoulder, not waiting for an answer as he closed the door.

Sarah looked at the jug of water and hesitated before beginning to strip off, it had been years since she had a sponge bath and it was not something that she was looking forward too, especially since she was in the Goblin King's chambers where she knew he could spy on her with great ease. Still, the warm water and soap felt good against her skin as she moved the wet rag across her chest and stomach tentatively, then with greater vigour as she decided that it would be best to get this done quickly. Once her body and face were done she wrapped a soft, silk robe around her, judging from the size it belonged to Jareth and she felt a thrill of guilty pleasure at using it, then turned to her hair and the crystal, sitting on a stool in front of a large mirror. Unsure of what to do, she touched the orb to her filthy hair and was rewarded with a flicker of light and it hung long, clean and loose. She moved to examine herself, four days of hard travel showed. She had lost weight and looked tired, idly she wondered if Jareth would mind if she took a nap in the large, comfortable looking bed. Then she shook her head and decided against it as a goblin came in carrying a pile of clothes like they were the most precious thing he had ever held.

Once the goblin had set them on the bed, Sarah moved from the stool and went to look at them, tempted to refuse this gift and put on her own clothes. One look at the dirty pile on the floor changed her mind and she picked up the first of the garments he had sent her. It was a light summer dress, made of linen, sleeveless, that laced up at the front from about the waist up. He had also sent her undergarments and she wondered where he had pulled all of this from, then she remember that he was the Goblin King and had, in all likely hood, pulled it all from the air. The fresh clothes were the last step in finally making her feel human again, but she felt guilty for taking them, for allowing herself to accept his kindness, even if she had to have dinner with him to receive it, because she knew that she was about to turn around and throw it all back in his face.

Finally ready to face him, she turned and went to the door, opening it and stepping out into the labyrinthine halls of the castle.

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Jareth went into his study and sunk into the chair by the desk, even the little spells were tiring him now. A crystal such as the one he had give Sarah was a trifling spell, a mere babe could perform it, and it came as naturally to him as breathing. Yet it had been hard and he knew that his kingdom was that little bit closer to dying, going to Sarah had taken more from the dwindling magic than he had thought, and creating clothes for her had used yet more of the precious magic that he tapped into. He pinched the bridge of his nose and leant back, less than three weeks until Thetis would come to take the jewel back and he prayed that it would not be too late for the life to return to his kingdom.

This was why he had given Sarah the meagre amount of water to wash in, this magical exhaustion, he needed time to collect his thoughts and he suspected that she needed the same. This was the last thing he needed right now, with a kingdom to try and protect, to try and keep _alive_ long enough for the Goddess to come and reclaim what was rightfully hers. Now that he had Sarah to contend with, something was bound to go wrong and he did not have time to watch her every action. In a week, another five wagons piled high with water barrels would arrive, with any luck the last shipment of water he would be needing, and he needed to organise the distribution of the water. Someone would have to go out and find all of the households that needed it and how much they should be given. Though it broke him to admit it, he also needed to know how many had died since the last shipment, how many would likely die before the next arrived, so that he could take that into account. Some of the outer villages were little more than ghost towns, populated by one or two hardy survivors, it would take millennia for the population to recover. Thetis had much to answer for.

Which brought him back to that stone, safe in a tiny, looked, chest on his desk in front of him, the golden key on a long chain around his neck, with him always. He put his gloved hand to it and pulled the chain out from under his shirt to look at the key, before pulling the chain over his head, and putting the key in the lock. It took only a sharp turn to unlock the chest and he opened it almost reverentially, looking at the stone within, the same colour as his blue eye, the colour the sky over his Labyrinth and Goblin Kingdom had once been, before the perpetual rain and eternal drought. He could see what it was about the stone that had fascinated his ancestor, the way the blue seemed to be eternally changing, the dark of the night sky to a blue so pale it was almost clear. It was entrancing and he did not notice Sarah arrive until he heard her gasp behind him.

"It's beautiful," she whispered and he turned to berate her for her rudeness, staring instead when he saw her, clean and refreshed, even if she did still have dark circles under her eyes.

"Yes," he found himself saying, "yes it is, the most precious thing in my kingdom, even above water." Her eyes went wide as he said it and he slammed the lid shut, hiding the jewel from view and silently telling her that he was ending the conversation. He had no desire to tell her the things that Jaylin had done, to lower his standing in her eyes when he knew that it was low enough anyway. He turned the key in the lock and dropped the chain over his head, flicking his hair out from under it and tucking the key under his shirt, missing the way that Sarah watched him, her narrowed eyes following its movement and coming to rest on exposed skin of his chest, lingering there. It took her a moment to notice and she blushed, the colour enhanced by the rosy sunburn on her cheeks and he found himself smirking down at her.

"Seen something you like?" He continued to grin and her blush grew, finally she turned away, furious that he had managed to embarrass her. Triumph surged through him and desperately wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her, but he stopped himself, well aware that if he did take _that_ course of action, her only reaction would be explosive and not in a good way. "Your chambers should be ready now, I'll take you to them." He told her, holding his arm out to her as she turned to look at him again, the last traces of her blush still lingering on her cheeks. With a stiff nod she slipped her arm through his and they left the room in silence.

_There you go, Sarah has seen the jewel and now she knows how much it means to Jareth. Silly boy that he is! Please R&R, I nee... like them. Next chapter should be up by this time next week, but this last one went through five or six edits and the next hasn't even been through it's first at the rate things are going between these two, I'm almost afraid of what I'll find I've written at silly times in the morning. Anyway, R&R!_

_Artemis_


	5. Hospitality

_I've just realised that I'm really delving into Sarah' s head in this chapter and in a change from my normal writing, there is very little dialogue. This is not to say that I mind it, this is the kind of thig where actions speak louder than words (at least until I get to write the conscequenses, because with this, I am going to have a lot of fun) Anyway, thanks out to all those who are reading and bigger thanks to those who are reviewing: sweetbabby33, notwritten, FaerieatHeart13, Avispa, FireShifter and yodeladyhoo (thanks for the advice, I hope you enjoy the outcome!)_

Chapter Four: Hospitality.

Sarah quickly learnt that when Jareth had allowed her to stay with him for those few days, the little he gave in the way of hospitality was all that he _could_ give. It seemed to her that the rich and powerful Goblin King had little more magic than she did and his treasury was scarily empty. It also appeared that when he had told her that the blue gem was the most valuable thing in his kingdom he was not exaggerating. If she had any choice of where her unfortunate task were to take place, it would not have been in this dying realm.

Since she had been given fourteen days to retrieve that gem and she had allowed ten days for travel, that left her with four to find some way to get her hands on the jewel and possibly a horse. She had been in the castle for two days already and was no closer to finding the answer to her problem than she had been when she had arrived. Telling Jareth why she wanted the gem was out of the question, it was a sign of failure, that she could not take care of the brother she had fought so hard to reclaim. She could not keep him out of trouble and that bothered her. She did not want to see Jareth's smug superiority as she admitted to needing his help, as she told him _why_ she needed the stone, as he told her that she should have taken her dreams since she was so clearly inadequate. Yet, she felt as though, by keeping him in the dark, lying to him about her reasons for being in the Goblin Kingdom, she was betraying him. Odd as it was, he seemed to trust her and even desired her company. After she had dined with him the first night, he had actually asked her to dine with him for every meal after and she would have been blind not to notice that they were the only ones in the great hall, or that he often seemed almost overwhelmed by caring for his lands.

She had also begun to wonder why her initial reaction to him had seemed so strong, true the last time they had met, she had a major crush on him, in his tight pants and poet's shirts, it had been amazing to see him in such loose, comfortable clothing the first time they had met again. She still desired him, because it was ok for her to want the touch of a good looking man, Fae, whatever he was, but that other feeling, that other feeling had diminished in the time they had spent alone and now she was uncertain whether she had really felt it or not. So she ignored it, because in the circumstances, it was the best thing to do.

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It was the middle of her third day and Sarah was beginning to panic. Her observations had shown her that Jareth only removed the chain with the key to the chest when he slept and she had no way to get into his chambers when he was asleep. For a while she had thought about just taking the whole box and running, but knew that would not work either, it was heavy and she did not like the idea of trying to drag it across a desert to hand it to a dragon which may decide that she was going to double cross it. The thought of what it might do to Toby and her if it came to that conclusion was not pleasant and while the thought of betraying Jareth was not one she wanted to have either, it was almost better than the alternative. Just the thought of the pain that Karen and her father would suffer, not to mention her own, should Toby die, did not bare thinking about and she found herself becoming impatient as she looked at Jareth over the rim of her water filled wine glass.

If Jareth noticed Sarah's bleak mood he did not say anything, seemingly content to have the company. He _was_ happy with the company, even if her mood had deteriorated in the last couple of days into something that would resemble his own dark mood after she had defeated him. It had surprised him how civil he had been towards her, better than civil. Even though the drought had grown worse after she had defeated him, he had found the one thing that could potentially save his kingdom and for that he was to be truly grateful.

The meal before them was small, the best that his people could offer him. Shrivelled carrots and tough, stringy meat, he suspected that it was in fact goat and not beef as he had told Sarah with an air of superiority. If she had noticed the difference in taste and texture she had not mentioned it, lost in her thoughts as she had been since she had arrived. He knew that she was intelligent and he had worried at first that she would piece together the half heard conversations and realise why his kingdom was in such a mess, instead she had not seemed to notice there was a problem.

"You didn't have to do this," she muttered suddenly, picking at the meal in front of her and regarding the piece of goat with a suspicious gleam in her eyes. "This feast." She waved the fork and the meat fell to the plate to mix in with the pathetic carrots.

"For the Champion of the Labyrinth? It is only what is expected. You have returned and should that not be an excuse to have a feast, even though it is this pitiful offering before us and only you and I to celebrate and enjoy it." He deliberately kept the tone light, not wanting to upset her in her current mood and his own near exhaustion, he did not have the energy for an argument this evening.

"I guess. I would have preferred to eat as you normally do," she pushed the wayward piece of meat into her mouth and chewed slowly, looking like she was trying to suck every possible amount of moisture from it.

"I often do not take an evening meal. The times have been hard on the kingdom, I try to limit my consumption of the things I do not really need. _You_ on the other hand, _do_ need the food," he decided to cut off any other arguments. She nodded and continued to pick at the cooling meal.

"Did I do this?" She played with the stem of the water filled wine glass.

"Do what, Sarah?" He looked confused.

"The drought, did I cause it? Everything seemed so much more alive when I was here last." He almost panicked, just for a moment, then brought himself back, she could not have heard about the curse and it was a reasonable assumption.

"No, Sarah, this was not your doing. I admit that there was some damage caused to the castle and the city, but the drought is not your doing. Did you not notice how barren the landscape outside the Labyrinth was the first time you came? The drought had us in its clutches even then." They lapsed back into awkward silence as Sarah finished eating.

Finally the food was cleared, the goblins came to collect the plates and they both leant back in their chairs, sipping their water as they looked at each other. Again Sarah felt a flash of guilt at the course of action she knew that she would have to take and she must have flinched because Jareth's expression became one of concern. He was a far cry from the cruel Goblin King she had met nearly fifteen years ago.

"Is something wrong, Sarah?" He asked, the same question he had asked every evening since she had arrived. She shook her head and took a gulp of water to give herself a moment to recover from her guilty lapse.

"Nothing, someone walked over my grave," she shrugged and saw Jareth's eyes narrow as he tried to discern whether or not she was telling the truth. Finally he sighed and stood, seeming to come to a decision. Sarah raced to get to her feet, not wishing to seem rude.

"We had a dance, all those years ago, a dance we never finished," he held out a gloved hand to her. "Dance with me, Miss Williams?" She hesitated. "Sarah, please, this time, this night, I am not the enemy." She met his eyes and saw a softness there that took her breath away, softness and a vulnerability. Three days had given him time to see first hand how quick her mind really was and their conversation a moment ago showed him how much she cared about others before herself. He still could not bring himself to tell her about the curse, he could not face the idea that it might lower his worth in her eyes, but surely there was no harm in wanting this one, little, thing for himself. Just to do one thing that could not benefit anyone but him, one selfish act could cause him no harm. She smiled at him and slipped her hand into his.

"What about tomorrow night? The night after, or all the nights after that?" She asked as he lead her to the open balcony doors and out under the brilliant stars and bright moon. In the silvery light she was more breathtaking and he found the words spilling from his lips before he had even thought about what he was going to say.

"Hopefully, you and I need never think of being enemies again," he purred, pulling her into an embrace. Guilt twisted through her and she spoke to cover her confusion.

"There's no music," she whispered as they swayed together.

"We can make our own," his reply was barely audible, then he was humming, a soft tune, but not one that she recognised. How long they continued in that way, neither was really sure. Eventually, Sarah laid her head on his chest, feeling the heat of his bare skin as her cheek nestled into the opening of his shirt, the chain the key hung on digging into her, even as her forehead rested against the cool, heavy amulet. He shifted his arms until he was simply holding her and they stopped swaying, though he continued to hum, the vibrations at the hollow of his throat racing through Sarah and she forced herself to look up at him. He was beyond stunning in the moonlight, the silver beams bleaching his blonde hair until it was white, stark against the now tanned, but once almost translucent, skin of his face, arms and chest. She realised where those thoughts were leading her and she tried to pull away, break the contact and prevent herself from doing something that she would definitely regret once she had done what she had come to do. Jareth had other plans and he pulled her closer to him, breathing her name with scarcely concealed desire. Then his lips were on hers and she lost all ability to form a coherent thought.

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Sarah lay next to Jareth in his bed, the gorgeous Fae slept peacefully, his face completely relaxed in a way that she had not seen at any other time. She looked down at him and had to smile, no matter what else happened to her now, she would always have this evening, perfect and untainted, an evening when, for the first time in a long time, she had felt like she was not alone, a time when she had felt wanted. Something caught her eye and the smile froze, even now, in this wonderful moment, something had reminded her of her task, of Toby waiting for her to come for him. On Jareth's bare chest, the golden key glinted in the moon light, the clasp for the chain lying so conveniently near it, a simple matter of reaching down and taking it.

Just the thought made Sarah want to scream in frustration, tears forming in her eyes and threatening to fall, tears which would wake him and stop her from doing something that she really did not want to do. Just like that she pulled away the hand that had reached out without her knowing it, trembling and afraid. She could not hurt him this way, did not _want_ to hurt him in this way, but Toby... Toby, if she did not do this, Toby was dead and she would have to carry the news to his parents, she would have to carry the grief and guilt for the rest of her life. The trembling stopped. She should not _care_ what Jareth thought of her, she should not be worried about how low this would sink her in his regard. It was only a jewel, granted beautiful and captivating, but a jewel all the same. Part of her _did_ care, however, and inside, that part of her was screaming.

Her fingers were like feathers as she undid the clasp, slipped the key off and placed it between her lips before rejoining the chain. Jareth stirred in his sleep and she gripped the key in her hand as she lay down again, moving slowly and carefully, resting her head on his chest, her hair mimicking the light touches of her fingers and he stopped moving, finally beginning to fall into an even deeper sleep and she absently wondered how long it had been since he actually _had_ slept. Once he had stilled, she eased herself over, sliding from the bed slowly so that he would barely notice the shift in the mattress. She stood and turned, looking down on him for a moment, the tears had returned and one by one they fell, slowly tracing done her cheeks. She turned, angry with herself and picked up the dress that he had given her, hating the sight of it, even as she pulled it on, she did not even have time to wash and his scent clung to her. She felt dirty, she had used him, taken all that she had wanted and given only betrayal in return.

"I'm sorry," it was barely audible, lost in the darkness as she scrubbed the back of her hand over her tear stained cheeks. "I'm so very, very sorry." She turned and opened the door, relieved that it did not creak and hurried out, closing it just as carefully behind her. Then she ran through the corridors, her bare feet making nearly no sound on the stone floor, halting abruptly outside her room. Her hand hovered over the handle. What if he had woken and realised what she had done? What if he was waiting for her? She shook her head. In the last few days he had barely used any magic, if he had woken she would have known it before now. With an angry toss of her head she pushed the door open and grabbed her bag from under her bed, the water bottles inside filled with what she had been able to take from her wash water each morning, napkins inside with food that she had taken during her meals, she pulled on her sandals and slung the bag over her shoulder, grabbing the velvet robe that she had found in the wardrobe and wrapping it around her to ward off the chill of the night air.

She paced for a few moments, mastering the art of moving silently in her sandals and then she was out of her room and moving as quickly and silently as possible, heading for Jareth's study and the end of any easy relationship between them. Once again she hesitated before entering, but now it was only because this was Jareth's sanctuary, a place that he had shared with her, entertaining her as best he could whilst running his kingdom. This was a place of good memories, where more than once he had made her laugh with the tale of some goblin antics, or wished away child. He had been right that evening, this time he was not the enemy, _she _was, and she had not even given him fair warning of it.

As she looked through the open door, she could see the small chest on his desk, the chest that contained the one thing which would change everything. Just by opening it she would know herself to be truly capable of throwing aside all of her moral values for the sake of her family and her pride, her foolish pride. But then, what did Jareth care about Toby anyway, what did he even care about her? Why bother? She had seen the lust in his eyes, even as she knew that it had been in hers, and if her feelings towards him had been softening, become deeper over the last few days, did it matter? She shook the thoughts from her head, burying them and focusing only on the task at hand, there would be time enough to beat herself up about this later, she had four and a half days to beat herself up over this, alone.

In all of her musing she had not realised that she had already gone to the far side of the desk and she found herself reaching forward and pulling the chest towards her, before she inserted the key and turned it in the lock. For a moment she feared a magical backlash and tensed, relaxing when nothing happened and she could not help but think that there had to be a reason that he had not warded the little box. She opened it, looking once again at the strange, shifting colours and backed away.

"I can't do this," she whispered. "I can't. Toby, I'm sorry... I'm..." she looked at it, feeling the tears falling again. She would condemn her brother, for the sake of a man that she barely knew, a man who would one day find something that meant more to him than this piece of shiny rock, a man who would live forever. She only had one chance at her life, and she would rather feel guilty about stealing from Jareth, than try to live with the fact that her lack of action would end her brother's short life. All thought of hesitating was gone. She grabbed the jewel, shoved it in the bag and ran from the study.

She did not stop until she had run from the city and fallen into an oubliette. She froze as she hit the bottom, then remembered Hoggle, remembered his offer to lead her back to the beginning and the door on one side of the room. As she scrabbled around in the dark, she wondered what had happened to him and yet more guilt assaulted her. As she found the door and lifted it into place, she contemplated how much more guilt and pain she would have to face before all this was over. The door opened with ease and to her relief, she got it right first time. It was with a sigh that she stepped into the winding catacombs beneath the Labyrinth and began to walk.

"Go back!" A gravelly voice cried and she stopped, peering at the False Alarm in the darkness as she realised that she had just taken a turn.

"Can you tell me the way out?" She asked. "Can you tell me the way back to the beginning?" Large eyes grated as they moved to look at her. "Please." She breathed. It did not reply and she turned around, she had to get out of here and desperation made her begin running again. It took her some time to notice that she was running in a straight line and then she saw light up ahead, the silvery light that told her, despite her fears, the moon was still shining and she still had time to get away.

She emerged not far from where she had entered the Labyrinth this time around and she ran for the road, running long into the night.

_Ok, I am officially a _bad_ author and I _know_ that most of you aren't going to like Sarah's actions. I don't want you to like them, because like it or not, this is about her bad descisions and Jareth isn't entirely blameless here either. At least they both had a little fun.Next time we will explore Jareth a little and a bit of Toby too! Next chapter up in the next week or so, depending how I get on childminding for _four_ kids this time (I swear they multiply each time!) If they completely fry my brain it may take a little longer, just a warning. Please , please, please, R&R, I want to know what you think._

_P.S. Don't let this chapter put you off!_

_Artemis_


	6. Betrayal

_It's official, never childmind four children at a time, especially when they're all under ten, it's a nightmare and they have killed me. To that end this is only a tiny wee chapter, hopefully the next will be longer. Thanks out to yodeladyhoo, ScarlethasPheonixpower, FaerieatHeart13, FireShifter, notwritten and FaeriesMidwife. Your reactions were remarkable._

Chapter Five: Betrayal.

Toby stared up at the dragon as it rose over him. Every day it had been the same, each time it taunted him, it's vile breath dancing across his skin as it laughed. The words varied but the meaning was always the same, Sarah would never find the stone, she would not get it from the King, she would never make it back in time. Each day, Toby despaired a little more. Three days before, he had thought that he had seen a face peering in through the opening of the cave, a tiny, furry little face and something inside him, some hidden memory, whispered that this was a goblin. He did not speak, did not cry out for fear of alerting the laughing dragon to the other presence. Now, however, it was the ninth day of his captivity and he had begun to wish he _had_ called out to the little creature, maybe it would have distracted the dragon enough for him to make a break for it. As it stood he was once again forced to endure the taunting before he was allowed to go to the pool and take a few handfuls of water, made to drag himself with his arms over piles of gold and gems, the hard stones and glittering metal digging into his ribs and the movement jarring his broken legs.

He had not eaten properly since he had arrived, if he was lucky, the dragon gave him a leftover fish or piece of raw meat and he knew that it was not out of concern for his well being, but rather that it did not want to lose its prize, the one that it was certain Sarah could never bring. So the days continued and as they passed, Toby found more cause for depair.

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Jareth woke the next morning refreshed and completely at peace with the world, so it was understandable that it took him a few moments to realise that something was missing as he contemplated the sun that was now shining through his bedroom window. He rolled away from the brilliant light and his eyes fell on the place in the bed where Sarah _should_ have been. She was not there and for a long moment he thought that everything that they had done the night before had been a dream. He sat bolt upright and groaned, not able to take another night of dreams and unobtainable fantasy when the real thing was in the room down the hall and that was when his eyes caught a glint from the carpet. He vaguely remembered something breaking the night before and he got out of bed, kneeling next to the glittering object. It was the remains of a chian, pooled next to a simple emerald pendent. At least now he knew he had not been dreaming, the question was, where had Sarah gone?

To say that he was a little hurt that she had left without waking him would be true, even though it had not been completely unexpected. Yet she had obviously left in a hurry and that rang alarm bells in his mind, one which was still hazy from a long deep sleep, he knew from experience that where Sarah went, trouble was always bound to follow. He moved to wave his hand, to use his magic to cleanse and cloth himself before remembering the diminished levels, the way that the heat killed the living magic in him as it killed his lands and his people, the magic which was tied to that same land. He scowled, not wanting to waste the time it would take to wash and dress and settled for pulling on a pair of loose linen trousers and an open shirt, for the sake of modesty, before leaving the room and racing to Sarah's chambers.

The door was open and the tinkling of the alarm bells in his mind became a cacophony. Her possessions were all gone, not one sign remained in the room to indicate that she had ever been there save one, the small jug of water that had been brought up as her wash water for that morning. His heart hammering in his chest, Jareth's hand came up to the large amulet that he always wore, the amulet that he had not removed the might before, taking comfort in the one thing that he had left of his family. The gloved hand moved down, to the fine golden chain and finally came to rest on... nothing. He looked down, where the key should have been there was nothing, just the clean line of the chain and the clasp. His scowl changed to one of worry and he turned from the empty room, for a moment he did not care about where Sarah was or what she was doing, he had to find that key.

The first place he went to was his chambers, knowing that this was the last place he had thought that he had been in possession of it. A frantic search turned up nothing and he stopped to think where else it may have been. He almost cursed when he realised that it was probably in his study, where he was always looking into the chest that contained Thetis' jewel. Within seconds he was there, and so was the key, glittering on top of the little wooden box, one that was carved with an intricate pattern, similar to the winding paths of the Labyrinth. A trembling gloved hand reached out and picked it up, and he felt a tremor of annoyance at his weakness, annoyed that the emotional control that he was normally capable of had been eroded almost as much as his magic had been. He was more than a little irritated that his worry and fear was so obvious when he should have been hard and aloof. It was as he moved to place the key back on the chain that another flicker of worry flashed through him. He needed to see the stone.

He put the key in the lock, now certain that he would see the moving blue stone in the bottom of the chest and he could get back to worrying about Sarah. A steady hand turned the key and he opened the lid almost reverentially. The chest was empty, even the little cloth that the stone had rested on was gone and it was all he could do not to start shouting. His only hope of saving his people was gone, stolen. But who? Who could have gotten hold of the key? Who knew where he kept it?

Everything fell into place with a loud clunk. Sarah was gone, the stone was gone and the only other person who had been able to get to the key the night before had been Sarah. He sat in his chair as he felt his legs beginning to go from under him. She had used him. She had taken all of his desires and trust and twisted it against him and he had behaved as a fool, he had fallen for all of it. By now she was surely outside the Labyrinth and with his magic weakened as it was, he could not simply draw a crystal from the air and find her. He would have to do this the old fashioned way, he would have to actually _look_ for her. Rage began to fill him and he clamped down on it, hard. To be blinded by his own emotions now would serve no purpose and he used the energy that the anger gave him to aid him in his transformation into his owl form, a process that was so slow it made his heart ache and the rage build. With an angry shriek he took flight, flapping his wings as he flew through the window and began his search.

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Sarah travelled through the night and for most of the day, she wanted to put as much distance between herself and the goblin castle as possible before Jareth realised what she had done and she knew that it would not be long. She walked until her feet were sore and her stomach and head were protesting at the lack of food and water. Her eyes were gritty from lack of sleep and as she began to stumble, she realised that even fear and adrenaline could not keep her on her feet for much longer. It was with some reluctance that she began to look for a place to hole up for the rest of the day, the heat of the sun in the cloudless, burnt orange, sky beating down her resistance and making her long for somewhere to rest her head.

Eventually she found a ruined house, the roof had begun to fall in and the shutters and door were hanging off their hinges, but it would do. Once inside she looked for a place where she could sleep which was hidden from sight. The house had only a single room, the furniture scattered over the floor in small broken piles, no way of piling it up without making it obvious that she had been there. In contrast to the relative poverty of the rest of the house, the fire place was a well built one, set deep into a thick stone wall, and despite the ash and dirt in there, it was the most hidden place. With a small sigh she bent her head and ducked under the mantle, getting ready to curl up in the dirt when something caught her eye, just at head height. It was an opening, tall enough for her to sit in, and when she pulled herself up, she could see that it was long enough for her to lie down in. It must have once been a hiding place for the previous occupants of the house, the romantic part of her brain decided that maybe they had once hidden all of their valuables in there. Hidden treasure trove or not, however, this cavity was a treasure all in its self. Twisting to put her bag and robe behind her, she pulled out the water and one of the little honey cakes she had pilfered from her breakfast one morning, nibbling it as she took tiny sips of water. Once she was done, she stowed the water and the napkin away carefully and inched her way back, resting her head on her bag and pulling the robe over her shoulders, she drifted into a restless sleep.

She woke several hours later, he head still pounding and her mouth dry and swollen. For just a moment she wondered where she was, then remembered the things she had done since she had slept last and had to stop her tears of guilt from falling as she inched out of the hole and back down to solid ground. The air in the little house had gone decidedly chilly and shivered as she wrapped the robe tightly around her. Then she slung her bag over her shoulder, dug out one of the water bottles, and took a few more sips before heading out again. Night had fallen and it surprised her how beautiful the dying place looked at night. The air was crisp and cool and the silver light of the waning moon gave her more than enough light to see where she was putting her feet. It also reminded her that Jareth would have more than the ability to see when he was looking for her, as he would be doing by now.

She pushed on, dirt from the road and the hidden hole clinging to her clothes and skin, adding to her unclean feeling. She knew that she had used Jareth terribly, would not blame him if he killed her for what she had done, she knew he could never forgive her and she hated herself for it. She stumbled and forced herself to stop thinking, there would be time enough for that once she had completed her task.

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Jareth flew in ever increasing circles for three days. He had no idea which direction Sarah had taken, or even if she was headed in the same direction she had come from, which ever direction that had been. He cursed his lust and the way it had blinded him to the obvious questions that he should have asked her. She had been secretive and cagey all along and he should have seen the trouble coming, instead he had just assumed that he had gotten a lucky break. It did not occur to him to wonder why she had wanted the jewel, or why she had stolen it instead of asking him for it, he simply assumed that she was being cruel, or following some part of her nature that he had been unaware of.

Finally he was forced to return as the frantic calls of his healer, and the only other Fae in the castle, began to reach him. It was with reluctance that he returned to the castle and with a little difficulty that he resumed his humanoid form. Ilyi was in his study, her hands clasped in front of her and a letter resting on his desk. Her dark violet eyes were a little wide and she was stood bolt upright, as though someone had strapped a wooden pole to her back.

"That arrived for you yesterday, I think you should read it. It's important, Sire," she curtseyed as he stared down at her. He looked at the letter again, it was a long one and he knew that she would have already read it.

"Summarise it for me," he snapped, "I doubt that letter is much more important than finding that Williams woman." Ilyi flinched at his tone and he tried to soften it a little for her, the young woman who had been named for his ultimate grandmother, the sister of the fool who had started the chain of events which had lead to the position he was in now.

"A water dragon has taken up residence in a cave four days journey, on foot, from here. Judging by the report it has been there for some time." Her voice was soft and she kept her tone neutral, aware that to appear confrontational or superior would only irritate him more.

"Is that all? I will deal with that nuisance when I have retaken the jewel from Miss Williams."

"But that's not it, Sire, the dragon is holding a captive, a young mortal boy. The report states that he has blonde hair and the dragon was taunting him." Jareth looked at her with a guarded expression, not willing to show any interest in the matter, even as a terrible suspicion began to form in his mind. "It is telling him that his sister will never be able to obtain the jewel she needs to obtain his freedom." Right there and then, Jareth knew where Sarah had gone, he knew why she had taken the jewel and he felt the first inklings of despair in his heart.

"Which cave, Ilyi?" He demanded, mismatched eyes flashing.

"The portal cave, the one that leads to the mortal world." Fear made the transformation to owl form swift, not even giving him time to thank the healer, before he was winging his way across the night sky, wings flapping frantically as he tried to gain enough speed to make a two day flight in one short night.

_Sorry it's a little short, my brain is well and truly fried. i will try and get the next chapter up as soon as possible to make up for it. hope you enjoy it, R&R, let me know!_

_Artemis_


	7. Trade

_Here we go, another chapter and it's longer than the last one. Just a quick thank you out to my readers and especially to my reviewers yodeladyhoo, FireShifter, ScarlethasPheonixpower, sweetbabby33, notwritten and spunkypumpkin. Oh, and I've broken my own rule, I've used a flash back in this chapter (I hate using them, I think it breaks up a storyline too much) but I couldn't have it said out loud and I need people to understand certain things without trying going into a long exposition speech. **Flashback** is written in bold italics. _

Chapter Six: Trade

Sarah was surprised to find that she had reached the cave by mid afternoon of her fourth day, travelling by night had certainly helped her to move a little faster. Her only thought had been reaching Toby and now that she was at the entrance of the cave, she was not sure if she wanted to call the great creature outside, or go in and meet it. She drew a deep, bracing breath and stepped into the cave, gasping as the cool air raced over her too hot skin. With a glance back at the harsh sunlight that shone through the opening of the cave, she made her way through the short tunnel to the dragons lair and stopped, surveying the glittering gold and jewels in the strange orange light. She did not know why the dragon wanted another gem, but she had done as she was asked and now she was only concerned with getting Toby out and back to his home.

She took a step further in and heard a hiss from the pool, the dragon's head rested on the edge, unnoticed amongst the overwhelming wealth around it. It's golden eyes were slits and they glowed in the half light. Immediately she saw the threat and she halted, trying not to tremble under the unwavering gaze.

"Little thief," it seemed to whisper the words and all at once she thought she could hear admiration and disgust in its tone. "Have you brought that which you owe me?"

"Let me see my brother," she demanded instead, amazed when she was able to say it without shaking, her head held high and her eyes hard. The dragon laughed and nodded to an empty space on one side of the room. Something, or someone was huddled there and she moved to go to them.

"The jewel..."

"Once I know he's alive." She snapped, not really bothering to remember that this was not the wisest thing to do. Skidding over the piles of coins she made her way to her brother. He stared at the wall, his eyes blank, sweat on his forehead. "Toby?" She whispered, setting a hand on his shoulder. The boy did not move and she allowed herself a moment of worry until she saw his chest moving up and down. She looked him over, not able to see any blood and for a moment she dared to hope that the dragon had not mistreated him too much, despite the fact that he was as dehydrated as her, and that he had lost weight. Then her eyes fell on his leg, and the odd angle that it was at. "You broke his leg," she whispered and heard the coins rustle as the dragon came closer, water dripping from its scales and plinking softly on the gold.

"He tried to escape," she could almost have seen it shrug. "My payment." Sarah kept her eyes on Toby as she rooted through her bag, trying to figure out how she was going to get the sick boy out of the cave. She looked at the opening opposite the one through which she had entered and the dragon seemed to follow her gaze, then it's jaw dropped in a grin and she shuddered. "That path is not open to you, Little Thief, you will have to find another way home. Perhaps the Goblin King will assist you." It laughed at the tears that came to her eyes and turned it's hard gaze to her, jaw snapping shut and the laughter stopping abruptly. "The jewel," it hissed and Sarah knew that she had run out of time, she could no longer prevent the inevitable and reluctantly she reached back into her bag and pulled out the beautiful jewel, still wrapped in the cloth that it had once rested on in the tiny chest. The dragon reached out a clawed foot and took the jewel from her, greed in it's eyes. Sarah did not move, did not take her eyes off it as it moved away, taking the jewel and placing it inside a skull near the Tintagel entrance to the cave, the skull which had once held the coins between it's teeth, now the jewel rested in the eye socket, next to another, an emerald that had been placed there since her last visit and she could not miss the symbolism behind it.

"What do you have against Jareth?" She asked and the dragon spared her another glance, this time it seemed condescending and she drew back, her leg touching her brother's prone form and the boy moaned in pain and fear. Her attention was drawn back to him and she did not see the dragon shake it's head and disappear back into the pool. Sarah knew that she had to move him, she needed to get Toby out of the cave and to a place where she could care for him and plan her next move. Going back to Jareth was out of the question, she doubted that he would give her the chance to explain before he killed her, she did not expect him to be forgiving. With a grunt she lifted Toby in her arms, no mean feat in her condition and for a woman who was several inches shorter than the burden she now willingly bore, then she staggered across the piles of jewel and coins, nearly losing her balance and her brother on a number of occasions before she exited the cave and lay Toby gently in the sand as she took the opportunity to look him over in the light of day.

"Give it _back_, Sarah," she looked up.

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Jareth flew frantically, silent wings seemed to claw at the chill night air as he searched below him, eyes skimming over the rapidly moving ground as he tried to spot Sarah, knowing that he had to find her before she reached the dragon's cave. He pushed himself harder than he had believed was possible, cursing his human weakness as the dying land leached him of yet more magic, feeling his desperation grow as he worried more and more that he would not reach her. Sarah had been gone for three days, but who knew what time she had left the night she had stolen the jewel and he knew from experience that if she was determined enough she could already be there. It was his worst fear because he knew that where Sarah was concerned, a race against time made her push harder than she should be able to withstand.

By the time he had reached the cave the sun was high in the sky and the desert below him shimmered in the heat, even as his sensitive ears caught the sound of the nearby sea, and more than once he had swooped, thinking that he had seen the dark haired woman who had betrayed him. She was in front of the cave, kneeling beside something in the sand and she did not look up from whatever it was that was sprawled in front of her. He stepped away from the approaching seawater, not wanting to risk the same fate as had met his mother, and looked at the thing in the sand. It was Toby, he realised, the boy looked half dead and he had to force himself to squash the pity the sight before him evoked, replacing it with his anger, taking a step closer to Sarah.

"Give it _back_, Sarah," he saw her flinch at the sound of his voice with a measure of satisfaction as she turned wide, exhausted, eyes up to look at him.

"Give what back, Jareth?" She asked with feigned innocence, her voice as weary as her eyes, her hands not leaving Toby until Jareth pulled her to her feet with more force than was really necessary.

"You _know_ what!" His control began to slip and he could feel his anger burning in his eyes as he glared at her, finding more pleasure in the fear he saw in her eyes than he had thought was possible. She looked up at him and knew that the time for pretence and protested innocence was over.

"I don't have it," she said quickly and pulled herself away, afraid that he would hurt her, and looking away so that he could not see her guilt. Jareth knew that he did not have to ask what she had done with it, he knew where it was and he was in no condition to fight a dragon after his frantic flight to the cave, with his magic so diminished and even if he had a sword nearby, he doubted that his exhausted muscles could lift it, let alone use it.

"Go in there and get it _back_!" He snapped, careful not to shout and alert the dragon to the debate. For a blessed moment, she looked like she wanted to obey him, she had even pulled her bag off her shoulder and set it at her feet before her eyes fell on her brother.

At the sound of Jareth's order, Sarah's first instinct was to obey him, she wanted to obey him with all of her heart if it meant that he would forgive her and ease the guilt that was threatening to eat her alive. She slipped the bag from her shoulder and set it at her feet, better able to move silently without it. Then her eyes fell on her brother, what if she was caught? What if the dragon killed her? Who would make sure that Toby got better?

"No," his head whipped round and he stared at her, as though he could hardly believe what she was saying. "No, Toby gets better, or I don't get the jewel."

"You are in no position to be making demands, Sarah!"

"Then go and get it yourself! Because until I know that Toby is going to be ok, I'm not going anywhere near that cave!" She crossed her arms over her chest and stared defiantly up at him. "Good luck with finding it on your own, there's hundreds of blue jewels in there," her mind drifted back to the skull with the blue jewel and the green and she felt doubt crawl up into her heart. She squashed it. "I'm the only one who knows exactly where it put it. I'm the only one who can guarantee that she can find the right one." Jareth looked at her, his mismatched eyes hard and if looks could kill, Sarah knew that she would be a tiny smear on the landscape. She lifted her chin, drawing on the same pool of defiance she used when dealing with the dragon.

Jareth could quite cheerfully have wrapped his hands around her throat and squeezed the life out of her, but deep down, he knew that she was right. The dragon's hoard would be huge, for it want such a prize as Thetis' jewel, and he did not have a hope of finding it without discovery. Once again he cursed his almost human weakness and for just a second he contemplated pushing Sarah into the cave by force. Then Toby moaned and Jareth felt something wet at his ankles. He looked down and saw with horror that the tide was coming in and he had been caught in it. Memories of the way that his mother had died flooded his mind.

_**The tall, beautiful woman stood by the sea, at the gateway to the mortal realms, the gateway to the home of Arthur, now empty and at once revered and feared, the place where food was brought to them as an offering of the mortals who were so afraid of them. Her hair was platinum blonde, plastered to her skull in the driving rain, her sodden dress, once pale blue but now dark with the volume of water it held, flapped wetly about her ankles in the gale around her. Jareth, a mere one hundred and fifty years old, stood at the top of the beach, shrouded in a dark cloak, the hood pulled up over his own hair as he watched his mother await the goddess and her wrath, because, once again, they had failed to bring her that which she was entitled, the stone which was hers to claim. His mother's bravery in the face of the water which could as easily kill them as give life to the dying land around them, stunned Jareth as he looked on, watching as the goddess walked from the water with unmatchable grace. In the dark light of the day he was unsure about the colour of her dress, water running freely down her body as she approached the Goblin Queen, guardian of the throne and wife of the now deceased King Hithes. **_

"_**Queen Illen," Thetis voice was cold and clearly audible, even over the screaming wind as she stood unmoving in the shallows, unaffected by the driving rain.**_

"_**Goddess," Illen bowed her head and Jareth felt a twinge in his gut, the flash of premonition as the water of the sea began to lap at his mother's boots. She did not move, did not acknowledge the danger that the water posed her as she paid her respects to the eternal being who held the entire future of the Goblin Kingdom in her hand. Thetis narrowed her eyes and stared at the Queen.**_

"_**You do not have it." It was not a question, the statement did not need an answer. "Why, then have you come here?"**_

"_**To show my respect for you and to beg you to give this realm a chance at survival." Thetis did not look impressed.**_

"_**You know that answer to that, Illen, until you return to me that which is mine, water will be your enemy, and now, your death." Illen finally noticed the water that was now swilling about her ankles, able to see the tiny sea nymphs in the water, feeling them grab at her dress and begin to pull, dragging her under and into the deep waters of the ocean, never to be seen again.**_

Just the thought of the way that his mother had died made Jareth move a little further up the beach, away from the water as Sarah struggled to lift her brother from the freezing water. The boy cried out as she jogged his broken leg and Jareth was shocked to see the angle it hung at. He carefully stepped back into the water and took the boy from Sarah, the muscles in his arms and back screaming at the sudden additional weight. The look Sarah shot him was at once shocked and completely grateful. He ignored her, convincing himself that he had not done this for her and that his actions were purely for the benefit of the boy.

Yet now he had taken the boy into his arms, Toby suddenly became his responsibility. He could feel all of the boy's pain and fear and it worried him. In fact, it worried him enough to convince him to acquiesce to Sarah's request that she go after the stone once Toby was in a better condition, his worry over the child he would have once named his heir overriding, for that moment, his fears for his kingdom. Still, he decided to test her resolve as he hurried from the water that was gradually getting deeper, not noticing that she saw the action or that she had frowned in confusion over his apparent fear of water.

"Retrieve the jewel, Sarah." He ordered and was not surprised to look over his shoulder and see a scowl.

"Not until Toby is better, Goblin King!" She snapped and looked at the water that was making it's way into the mouth of the cave. "Besides, the tide would cut me off from you." He nodded, not smiling, not wanting to talk to her and chose to look down on the innocent child in his arms, he could not allow him to continue suffering because Sarah had made a bad decision, Toby had been a gift into his dark and lonely world, the child who had brought Sarah to his attention, not that he would hold that against him, the boy who would have been his heir, an unfortunate heir to a dead realm. He would not let him suffer, even though he doubted the consequences of this course of action would be any better than his last decision where the Williams family were concerned.

"Very well," he hissed the reply through clenched teeth and he saw Sarah's face again light up in gratitude before he marched away with the child still in his aching arms, the throbbing pain beating in time with the pain in his heart, all of the things he wanted to say to her, the words he wanted to scream to the heavens, all held in check by the vulnerable body in his arms.

The next four days would be hard on all three.

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They travelled all of the first day and well into the night, it was nearly dawn by the time they stopped in an abandoned farmhouse. Jareth had laid Toby gently on the only bed, smoothing the boys blonde hair from his forehead and looking down at him fondly before going to the other side of the room and settling himself in the corner. He closed his eyes, almost daring Sarah to comment. His back and shoulders were on fire, his mouth and throat dry and his eyes burnt from lack of sleep. This would make his fourth sleepless night and all he wanted to do was rest. At the same time, that meant trusting that Sarah would not try to take her brother and run, though he could not see the point in her doing that. She needed his help to make Toby well and return home, she would not get far before she realised this and came running back. He hated this, this human weakness, the fear of pushing himself too far when only a couple of decades ago he had been able to do anything he had wanted with his magic. This was the way it had been for his father in the last years of his life, the stress of trying to keep the kingdom alive as his magic began to fail him had taken its toll. Now it was to be Jareth's turn, and if he did not find a way to get the jewel back, he might not last the next hundred years. He let himself drift into sleep as he thought, let Sarah tend to her brother and when he woke again, it was night.

The second and third day followed the same pattern, with the trio travelling at night and during the early morning, able to make better time in the cool air, resting when the sun was high and the heat was almost debilitating in its extreme. Jareth continued to carry Toby in his arms, careful of the splint on his newly set leg and he was grateful that the boy slept most of the time, remembering his screams as they had set the bone with gritted teeth, and when Toby _was_ awake, his eyes were clouded with fear and pain, dull and listless.

"Sarah," the child called for his sister and Jareth's gentle eyes went flinty at the mere thought of the woman who had betrayed him. She hurried forward, her eyes exhausted as she looked down at her brother, taking one of his hands in hers, her own hand brushing against Jareth as she did so and she sent a worried look at the Goblin King. His only reaction was a look of cold revulsion and she had to force herself to shake off the hurt at his reaction to her, because she knew that he had every right to think of her in that way, it was how she saw herself. For three days and nights Jareth had not spoken to her, responding to her attempts at conversation by looking away from her, ignoring her, he barely acknowledged her existence and that frightened her more than the idea of his flying into a rage, screaming at her and threatening her because she could understand that. This silent anger, simmering just beneath the surface, visible in the set of his shoulders, his rage boiling behind his mismatched eyes, still captivating even with the bitterness that had taken root there. His anger seemed to have given him the strength to carry Toby, refusing both her help and her offer of water with contempt and distaste. After her fifth attempt she had stopped offering.

"Sarah, where are we?" Toby drew her attention back to the present and she looked over to the rising sun, the great orange orb appearing slowly from behind the walls of the Labyrinth, the city and castle in the centre silhouetted against it. At any other time she would have called it beautiful. Now it was a reminder of the course of action she had chosen to take.

"We're in the Underground, in the Goblin Kingdom."

"Where the Labyrinth is?" He asked, blue eyes clouded with doubt now and Sarah looked up at Jareth as they continued to move closer to the Labyrinth. If he was surprised that Toby knew of his lands, he did not show it.

"Yes," she looked away again

"I thought it was just a story," he tried to sound sceptical and only succeeded in causing a coughing fit.

"I think the fact that the Goblin King is carrying you should convince you."He gave her a weak smile before turning to look up at Jareth.

The King kept his gaze forward, not wanting the boy to see his anger and hostility towards Sarah. It was not his fault that Sarah had made a mistake, not the boys fault that she had forced his hand into helping him. He struggled to gain control of his rage and only when he was satisfied that it did not show did he look back at Toby, allowing him to study the face of the one who would have once been his king.

"You look like I imagined you to, Sarah described you really well," there was a measure of awe in his voice and it sent a thrill of happiness through Jareth, the idea that a child could sense the power he had once held. He looked up again and Toby fell silent, seeming to sense the chill atmosphere that had nothing to do with the cold air around them and for the first time since he had been rescued, he wondered what Sarah had had to do to get the jewel.

Silence reigned as they continued to walk, Jareth could feel the now familiar burn in his shoulders and arms and he welcomed it. Thinking about the pain gave him something else to think on other than the fact that Thetis would arrive in eight days and he was still no closer to finding a solution to his problem. Sarah had placed him between a rock and a hard place, she knew where the stone was, if she played her cards right, she could be in and out within a few moments, he would have to hunt for the jewel, he was in no position to deal with the dragon. He forced his thoughts back to the pain in his arms, feeling it migrate from his shoulders and down his back as the gates to the Labyrinth came into view.

"Finally," he breathed, his first words in three days and saw Sarah shudder as the gate opened and he lead the way through, turning right, then left and immediately left again. A straight path opened in front of them and after only an hour, they were at the gate to the castle where Ilyi awaited them, seeing everything and taking charge of the situation.

Toby was taken from Jareth's numb arms and rushed away by several goblins, Sarah was escorted to the chambers that had been hers only a few days before and Jareth was lead to his own by his healer, her pale hands touching his face and shoulders, examining him as they walked, her concern hidden by a mask of indifference.

"The boy..." she cut him off.

"Will be attended to as soon as I have seen to you and to Miss Williams." She flicked a strand of auburn hair from her face.

"I only need to rest, and Sarah can also wait until her brother has been dealt with. He is her first concern and his speedy recovery seems to be our only hope." The exhaustion and humanity in his face made Ilyi take a step away, this was the first time he had really opened up to her, it frightened her a little and she hastened to obey his orders, curtseying as she left to tend to the mortal boy, one whom she had no doubt was once again the unwitting cause of the friction between her king and Sarah.

_So I'm posting this quickly before I go to work, which is a little dangerous in itself but what the hey. R&R, I know this isn't the confrontation, it didn't seem like the place and this sort of flowed out of my fingers at an alarming speed. By the time I realised that Jareth hadn't said or done anything really angry, they were back at the castle. On the plaus side, I now have more ammo against Sarah when she finally _does_ find out about the curse, I'm having way too much fun! Next chapter will be by this time next week, until then, I look forward to your reviews._

_Artemis_


	8. Curse

_Ok, my next update and I have to be honest, I don't know when I will be able to update again, I'm about to go into a long stretch of working without a break so I'll be writing whenever I can. Thanks go out to my reviewers: FaerieatHeart13, FireShifter, sweetbabby33, notwritten, angeloneous, ScarlethasPheonixpower and yodeladyhoo. If I'm honest, I'm not totally happy with this chapter but I can't get it any better, therefore we go onwards._

Chapter Seven: Curse.

Sarah stared out of the window, the sun was setting over the kingdom and she had been in the chambers for several hours, yet still she had seen no one. She had no idea where Toby was or how he was doing, she had been told nothing and that worried her. She had to admit that she was impressed at Jareth's stamina, he had carried Toby for so long, asking for nothing and needing nothing it seemed. She picked at the stone with worried fingers, scowling at the beauty in front of her eyes.

Finally there was a knock at her door and she flinched before calling out for the person to enter. The door swung open and Sarah saw a tall Fae woman. Her hair was dark blonde, more golden than the platinum of Jareth's and Sarah muttered something under her breath for making the comparison. Her eyes were violet, deep and brilliantly alive, her unwavering gaze made Sarah feel about as big as a cockroach and she crossed her arms across her chest self consciously.

"So you're her," the strange woman muttered, "I should have known you would be raven haired." Sarah allowed herself a moment to scowl at the stranger. "I am Healer Ilyi, I have been ordered to tend to your brother." Her voice was cold, distant and Sarah found that it frightened her just a little. All thoughts of fear were banished at the mention of her brother.

"Toby!" She started forward. "Where is he? Is he alright?" If Ilyi was impressed with her concern for her brother, she did not show it.

"With any luck he will be. His leg was badly broken and I had to reset it, he is also badly dehydrated and he cannot have eaten much in the last couple of weeks. He is very ill, Miss Williams."

"Will he live?" Sarah insisted, not sure what she wanted the answer to be. She knew that it should be for him to live, yet she even feared that, because if he lived, she would have to go back into that cave and retrieve that jewel. Really, why was it so important to him anyway? Surely he had thousands of others just as beautiful.

"At the moment, I just don't know." Sarah was ashamed to feel the rush of relief that flooded through her, even after everything that she had been through to get him back. She blushed and hung her head and for just a moment, the Fae woman wanted to take pity on her. Sarah was beaten and dishevelled, the exposed skin of her face and shoulders was burnt, the skin already beginning to peal. "I need to examine you." Sarah batted her hand away.

"I need to see my brother."

"He's resting." Ilyi moved closer again and reached out.

"I _need_ to see him. I don't care if he's asleep or awake, I just need to see him for myself. Please, Healer Ilyi." The other woman stared at her for a while, sizing the younger up, knowing that she was the stronger, better rested and in better physical condition. At this moment, however, the last thing that Sarah needed was more stress and so Ilyi nodded, a little reluctantly.

"Very well, follow me."

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Sarah was at Toby' side every day for next five days, never seeing a sign of Jareth while she was there, it was almost like he was hiding from Toby's illness. The first day she had not thought anything of it, he must have been completely exhausted from their trek back from the dragon's cave and he needed to rest. By the end of the second day she was a little more concerned by his absence and had to sternly tell herself to stop thinking and worrying about him so much. It was something that she did not have a right to and she did not want to dwell on what could never now be. On the third day she managed not to think about him but on the fourth she saw him in the corridor outside the infirmary as she left. She managed a clumsy curtsey not surprised when he did not smile, his eyes cold and distant. She hurried past, still fearful of him.

"Sarah," he managed to make her name sound dirty as he called to her and she had to suppress a shudder. She turned, holding her chin up defiantly and allowing herself to meet his mismatched eyes, trying to show that she was not afraid of him, even if it was the opposite of what she really felt. "Do you have _any_ intention of keeping to your word?" He demanded, taking a step closer to her, resisting the urge to wrap his gloved hands around her throat.

"Of course I do," she spat in reply. "I keep my promises, Goblin King. As soon as Toby is better."

"We don't have _time_ for the boy to recover." He stopped himself before he gave away more information than he really wanted to.

"Yes we do. Because if Toby doesn't get better, you don't get it back." She could feel herself on the verge of starting a fight and that was the last thing that she wanted to do outside her brother's sick room. "If you'll excuse me, Your Majesty, I'm tired and I have another long day ahead of me tomorrow. Good night." She turned and ran from the corridor.

Jareth watched her go, thinking about her words. Perhaps it was time to tell her everything, time to tell her about the curse. It was still too little too late, she had refused to help him until her brother had recovered and she would never have made it in time even if she had left the morning after they had arrived back at the castle. He leant back against the wall and tipped his head back until it rested on cold stone. At any other time and in any other situation he would have found her concern for her brother endearing, somewhere deep down and to his utter frustration, he found that he still did, because despite everything she had done to him, it had been for the good of another and not for her personal gain. It did not change the fact that she had betrayed him and he was nearly out of time, in the condition the kingdom was in, he doubted that it would survive another century. This had been his last chance.

The next day found Sarah once again at her brother's bedside, his hand held loosely in hers as she looked down on him, her expression perplexed.

"What's bothering you, Sarah?" Ilyi asked softly, secretly hoping that she was brooding over her chosen course. Sarah looked up at her, her expression almost shocked and she seemed to think before she spoke.

"You'd think he would visit Toby, Ilyi," she muttered then and the Fae felt a rush of disappointment in the girl.

"Why?" Her answering tone was cold and dispassionate, deciding that she expected too much from the king that she had betrayed.

"To show that he actually _cares_ if Toby gets better or not. I mean, he _did_ carry him across the desert." Her voice was petulant now and Ilyi felt herself beginning to lose patience with her.

"Why does it matter so much to you that he cares? Is it not enough that he did all he was able?"

"Because Toby living is the only way that I will get it back for him. If Toby dies..." she broke off as a sob threatened to overwhelm her and when she started again her voice was hushed with tightly controlled tears and fear. "If Toby dies, Jareth will never see that _damn_ stone again." There was a little more venom in her tone than she had intended to let show, but she did not try to take the words back.

"The jewel! You stole it for Toby?" Ilyi could hardly believe what she was being told. "Do you have any idea how important that stone is?"

Sarah stared at her, confused by the normally calm woman's outburst. "But surely he has thousands?"

"But _that_ stone... that stone is this Kingdom's _only_ hope and you stole it for a child, a _single_ child!" Icy terror settled in the pit of Sarah's stomach as half heard conversations began to click together in her mind.

"What do you mean 'only hope'?"

"He didn't tell you about the curse?" Sarah shook her head not trusting herself to speak. "Gods, he didn't tell you... _damn_ his pride!" She looked at the young woman by the bed, Sarah's eyes were sparkling with the unasked questions, begging Ilyi to tell her that her suspicions were unfounded. "Sarah, that stone was stolen from the Nereid Thetis by one of the King's ancestors three thousand years ago. Jaylen hid it from her and refused to return it , so Thetis cursed the realm to have water for it's enemy. For hundreds of years at a time it will rain or there will be a terrible drought. This is by far the worst it has ever been and that jewel was the last hope for the survival of this Kingdom." Ilyi made no attempt to sugar coat the truth, even if she decided not to mention that Jareth would also almost certainly die before the next century was over if the jewel was not returned.

"Oh my God," somehow Sarah managed to push herself off the chair and staggered her way out of the room.

"Sarah where are you going?" Ilyi raced after her.

"I have to see him... I have to know..." She began to move faster and Ilyi would have followed but for a quiet moan that issued from the infirmary. Her patient took priority and she hesitated for only a second before returning to the room.

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Sarah found Jareth in his study, bent over a report, his head in gloved hands as he massaged his temples. He looked exhausted and she finally began to see the little things that she had missed in her single minded determination to rescue her brother. The way that the chest  
holding the jewel had sat out in plain sight because he knew that none of his subjects would dare to try and take it, none of them would want to. She should have thought it odd that a gem, no matter how beautiful, would mean more to him than his kingdom, one that he had been working hard to save even if she had not seen it.

"Tell me it isn't true," she whispered and his head snapped up, eyes betraying his worry and exhaustion for just a moment before becoming cold and hard again.

"What?"

"The curse and that jewel. Tell me..." He rose from the desk, cutting her off as he began to speak, walking towards her.

"That Jaylen didn't steal it? That by giving it to the dragon you have not condemned an entire kingdom?" His words mocked her and she took a step away from his still advancing form. "I welcomed you into my home, Sarah, gave you every comfort that I could afford to give."

"I gave you everything that you _wanted _in return!" She snapped back, not wanting to hear the accusation and feeling a small part of her breaking at the pure hate that now covered his face.

"Yes you did," his voice was beyond chilling as he backed her into the wall, leaning over her and bringing his face close to hers, watching as her eyes darted, looking for an escape as he watched the full force of his next words wash over her, words said low and hushed, "and then you took your payment, just like a good little _whore_." He spat the last word with such venom she flinched and he enjoyed the way her eyes went a little wide.

The things he had said to her should not have hurt as much as they did, it was no more or less than she had told herself many times over the last few weeks and they had been expected. Yet no matter how much she had expected them, they still cut into her like a dagger through her heart and she found herself closing her eyes, turning her face away from his as she tried to hide the hurt she felt. The air between them was close, tense and she braced herself against the wall for more poisonous words. Nothing came and as the air stirred around her, she opened her eyes again, seeing Jareth move away from her and make his way to the door.

"Goblin King! Wait!" He turned, murder in his eyes. "I... I can get it back. I'll leave now. It doesn't matter about Toby anymore, he'll get better whether I'm here or not." Her offer did not have the desired affect. Jareth did not nod or offer to supply her with food and water, he simply stared down at her.

"Get it _back_," he mocked and laughed bitterly. "I have _three_ days until Thetis comes to reclaim her property and you know as well as I how long it will take to get to that cave."

"But surely you have horses..." she was clutching at straws now.

"On horse back? It takes two days to just _get_ there. You would never be back in time."

"And _you _have a better plan? One that doesn't involve sitting here and moping? How would you fare any better anyway? At least I know where he put it!" Weeks of frustration finally made it to the surface as Sarah began to shout, venting everything that she had thought in the last few days.

"I will work this out, Sarah! You are _not_ going to risk your life on a pointless endeavour!" However much fun he knew it would be to watch her try, he found that he just could not let her do it and again he cursed the human weakness, the admiration for her drive to save someone that she loved. "You would _never_ be back here in time! Go take care of your _brother_ and let me pick up the pieces, _again_!" He dismissed her, wanting her to leave him to his brooding about how best to tell the angry Goddess what had happened to her property. He started to walk away.

"Don't you... what do you mean 'again'?" She demanded, grabbing his arm and wrenched himself from her touch, feeling it crawl over his skin and it made him feel the urge to wash.

"Remember the screaming baby?" He asked as though talking to a child. "An ill thought out wish and a party you thought had never happened?"

"That was you?" She whispered the question, remembering the way that the terrible mess in the room had been cleared away as she had slept the night after her journey through the Labyrinth. His face softened a little at her obvious confusion.

"Me. Now for once, just do as I say!" His eyes went flinty again and he watched dispassionately as she took a few steps back.

"I'm sorry," she muttered then and fled. Jareth watched until he was sure she was gone before he let himself relax. The gods only knew what he was going to do now.

_There we are, one update. I'll try and write more soon. I just have one message to you all. Watch Kingdom Hospital. I'm a little distracted by it right now so my writing has gone a little weird. Insanity over, R&R and tell me what you think of it._

_Artemis_


	9. Dragon

_I apologise for how long it has taken me to update, my muse seems to have deserted me so I have to add my apologies for this being a truly awful chapter. I can't quite seem to get it right (other than having a little field day with horsey things). Anyway, thanks out to sweetbabby33, notwritten, ScarlethasPheonixpower, FireShifter, clareissimio, FaerieatHeart13 and yodeladyhoo. At the moment I'm looking at maybe three more chapters after this one, so it will be winding down as soon as my muse returns to beat me over the head with the creativity stick. Maybe I should put out a reward..._

Chapter Eight: Dragon.

Jareth paced his chambers, a scowl on his face that could have brought thunder to the skies if not for Thetis' curse. Damn Sarah and her noble, _heroic_, heart. She always felt the need to be the heroine and to place him in the position of villain, even when _he_ was not the one who had caused the problem, she had placed him in the role of opponent anyway because that seemed to be all she knew how to do. It had been written all over her face as she had offered to retrieve the jewel, as she had taunted him because she knew something that he did not.

He pushed gloved hands back through once immaculate hair, frustration clear in all of his actions as he watched the sun set over the city, finding no peace in it when it reminded him that he had all of two days and a night before Thetis arrived and he would have to confess on bended knee that he no longer had what was hers. Even the idea of kneeling before another made his stomach twist and he turned away from the window, missing the freedom that he had once had, the time when he could throw himself over the ledge and know that he would transform before he hit the ground, that he could then fly through the night and forget, for a short time, all of his problems and worries. Now everywhere he went reminded him of Sarah and her betrayal. His chambers reminded him of the night he had finally fallen asleep with her in his arms, his study reminded him of their argument that day and the wonderful conversations that they had shared just before she had stabbed him in the back. A flash of green caught his attention and he saw Sarah's emerald pendant on his dresser, lying forgotten where he had dropped it a little under two weeks ago. He sighed as he looked at it, feeling the painful beating of his heart as he remembered how it had wound up on his bedroom floor in the first place and cursed himself for a fool.

"Why didn't she _ask_?" He whispered to the emerald, resisting the urge to throw it out of the window, there was pain attached to it and he found himself curious. "I could have dealt with the dragon..." Which brought his trail of thought right back to the cause of the problem. The dragon, something about the whole thing felt wrong. Dragon's did not give others the chance to bargain for the release of those caught stealing, they simply burnt them where they stood. Nor should Sarah _or_ Toby have been able to enter the Fae world through the Merlin's Cave entrance unless they had actively _wanted_ to. Somebody was playing a game and Jareth was not quite sure that he liked it, especially when he did not know the rules.

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Sarah lay on her bed in the darkness, eyes full of hate dancing through her mind, eyes that held the lives and souls of thousands of dead and dying deep within them. His words whirled around her head, words that lay the blame for the future thousands at her door and she knew it was true. Had she only asked him for his help, her pride as much of a curse as his, perhaps they would not be in this terrible place. They should have communicated better than they had. That one night they had shared had meant more to her than she would ever dare to admit to him and she did not really know why.

With a sigh she rolled out of bed and pulled the robe over her night dress, going to the window and staring out into the moon light. She could not go on like this, her guilt was eating her up inside and she wanted nothing more than to end the awful feeling. She wanted Jareth to find it in his heart to forgive her, to look at her without hate even if she would never be touched by him again. She growled in frustration and turned away from the moon washed landscape, her hand going to her throat where her emerald pendant had once lain, the same rush of loss flooding her as she found nothing but the hollow of her throat and she wondered when and where she had lost it. For a moment she considered asking Jareth for help finding it and she dismissed the thought with a toss of her head. He would be loathe to help her now.

She was tired of waiting, tired of pacing the same worn out parts of the carpet, waiting for Toby to wake up as the lands around her died. Now she knew that it would be her fault if that pattern continued and she made her decision there and then.

"I'm going, Jareth," she breathed to the moon, "I'm going tonight."

It was the work of moments to pull on the dress that Ilyi had lent her out of pity and necessity and it took only another second for her to pick up her bag and run from the room. She did not worry about silence, it did not matter to her if she was caught trying to get out, her intentions were only to do what she felt was right.

The castle was almost silent and she was reminded of how dead it had seemed the first time she had been here. Just thinking of the reason made her quicken her pace and she quickly found herself in an unfamiliar part of the castle, the smell of horses drifting towards her. There was a half open door just down the hall and she peeked out before opening it fully and stepping out into a courtyard. Just across it she could see what had once been a large and well maintained stable, now most of it was crumbling and though it was evident that part of it was still in use, it was clear that the rest of it had not been used in many years, possibly even centuries. She scurried across the courtyard, glancing once over her shoulder and up at the dark windows of the castle another twinge of guilt rushing through her as she thought of leaving her brother.

Aside from the two horses at the far end of the dilapidated stable block, the building was deserted and Sarah cast a brief thought of thanks to whoever might have been listening as she made her way down to the waiting beasts. Both snorted softly in the darkness, the building lit only by the moonlight that was now shining in through the open door. It was difficult to tell what colour they were, the soft silver light bleached all colour from the surroundings and for all she knew they could have been blood red. She moved towards them carefully, muttering when she stubbed her toe on a bucket full of water, she held out her hand to the first of the two. The large animal's ears went flat against it's skull, as if sensing how nervous she was, especially considering the fact that she had not been riding since Thomas had died, and she withdrew her hand as it snapped at her. The other animal was more approachable and she hunted for it's tack, glad to see it well cared for and opposite the placid animal's stall. Nearby were several large water skins and she filled them from the buckets of water placed on the floor, aware that the horse would need more water than she would. She also found a soft leather bucket, how it was sealed she did not know but she poured the water that remained in it into the water skins and folded it before beginning to saddle her horse.

Within half an hour she was ready to leave, bucket and water firmly attached to the saddle, along with a nose bag of oats and her own possessions, taking a moment to take stock of everything once she had reached the yard, making sure that she was ready. She had tied her hair back and it was only as she tried to mount that she realised what a problem she was going to have with the skirts. The saddle was not a side saddle, she would have to sit astride the horse and that would mean either hitching the skirt up, which would be uncomfortable, removing the skirt, which was just indecent, or tearing it, which would ruin something that was not even hers. Ultimately she chose to tear the skirt, she would find some way to make it up to Ilyi later, and mounted the horse, straightening with a little difficulty as she tried to remember all that she had been taught and the things that she had purposely tried to forget. She walked her mount around the yard for a few minutes, taking the time to acclimatise herself to the feeling of once again being on horseback before remembering that she was wasting time and pulling the reins gently to make the horse head towards the open gate.

She decided later that it was fortunate that she remembered the direct route that Jareth had taken to lead them into the city and she followed it out of the Labyrinth, making her way back out onto the road that she was growing to know so well. Once she was sure she was clear she urged her horse into a trot and then a canter, making their way across the still cool desert under that rolling movement.

Sarah pushed her horse hard that night and it was not until the poor animal stumbled slightly that it occurred to her to ease up on it a little. The animal's breathing was laboured and she felt a twinge of guilt as she realised that she had been so focused on her own chosen course that she was neglecting her mode of transport. She slowed to a stop and slid down to the hard ground, hurting in places she had forgotten could hurt. The inside of he thighs felt raw and she felt stretched as she waddled to unhook one of the water skins, pulling the leather bucket with her as she moved and part filling it with some of the luke warm water. Then she hooked the water skin back over the saddle and placed the bucket in front of the winded mare. The animal looked at her before lowing her head and drinking greedily. Within moments the water was gone and the animal's legs were no longer trembling. Deciding that it would be safer to walk, she lead the tired animal along the road.

They walked for hours, Sarah was determined to get to the cave in the shortest possible time, eventually, however, the heat of the day and exhaustion won out and she made her way to the side of the road and a small hut that she idly noted she and Jareth had used on their second day from the cave. She did not question how she had managed to cover such a distance in one night, her head hurt enough as it was and she just put it down to it being a Fae horse that she had been riding.

By morning the next day she was at the entrance to the cave, wondering how she was going to get in and retrieve the jewel without being caught. She looked inside and to her relief, the dragon did not appear to be home. Taking a deep breath she made her way on nearly silent feet towards the skull and the jewel she was after all the while looking around her, waiting for the dragon to make a surprise appearance. It did not and she grabbed the stone, pushing it down the front of her bodice before stepping away. As she did, she slipped on the pile of coins that she was precariously balanced on and she slid to the floor, landing on the skull and breaking it like it was made of nothing more than paper. Tears of pain came to her eyes but she blinked them back as her hand went to the front of her dress, checking that the stone was still there. She sighed in relief when she found that it was and made her way out of the cave, not noticing as a scaled head slid silently out of the pool in the centre.

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Jareth woke to find that the sun was already high in the sky and his breakfast had not materialised. He sighed rose from his bed, going to the large basin that was only half filled and taking a quick morning sponge bath before resolving to go to his study and check on the water levels in the city. Pulling on light linen breeches and a large, open shirt pausing only long enough to slip his feet into his simple sandals, he made his way to the study and opened the door. Sarah's scent assaulted his senses and he took a step back, pulling the door closed again. Perhaps today he would visit the boy, but then he remembered that Sarah would in all likelihood be there and he had no desire to see her. He pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a frustrated headache coming on and wished, not for the first time, that his emotional control was not so tied up with his magic. Something tugged on the edge of his mind and he felt new magic rush through him, making him grin ferally. Someone had made a wish, someone to play with, someone whose belief in the fantastic had given him the boost that he needed that day. With a chilling laugh he shimmered and vanished, making his way to the mortal world to answer another foolish wish.

Unseen by any in the castle, another part of the realm died as the magic that gave it life was cannibalised to give the king the power he needed to grant the wish. The goblins living there huddled in dehydrated misery stared at nothing as, one by one, they stopped breathing, one by one their hearts stopped. A nursing mother let her baby fall from numb claws as her heart stuttered and faltered, the only green plant life nearby wilting, dying in a matter of seconds, a process that would have taken days. Goats, horses, sheep and pigs stilled. Nothing could be heard and all the while, the king was oblivious.

Thirteen hours later and Jareth had a new goblin to add to his once uncountable hoards. However he found no joy in it, not like he once had. This child had as little future here as he had in the world of is birth. If he was lucky, he would survive a month, if he was lucky. Jareth was back in his study, the final, lingering wisps of Sarah's scent dancing in his nostrils and making him short tempered. The door opened and he looked up from his paper work to see his healer stood there, her violet eyes searching.

"She went then?"

"Who went where?" He snapped, turning back to his work.

"Sarah went to get the stone," Ilyi seemed to wait for him to explode. Instead he laughed.

"What makes you think that she's done that? She's probably hiding in her room like te brat she is." Ilyi sighed and muttered something rude under her breath.

"I thought the same when she didn't come to see Toby this morning." She started , but Jareth cut her off.

"How is the boy?" He asked, setting his quill down and looking at the healer again. She looked stressed and upset, emotions that were given away by the two points of heightened colour on her normally flawless cheeks.

"Getting there, as you would know if you visited." She pointed out before going back to her original topic. "I went to her room to see if she was there, she was gone and when I went to the stable, Chretienne was also missing." The name of Ilyi's horse made Jareth begin to take the situation a little more seriously.

"You think she's taken her?" He asked, revelling in the control that the morning's burst of power had returned to him. Ilyi nodded and he stood, beginning to pace. "Stupid, stupid girl, I told her that I would deal with it!" His control began to slip a little and he stopped to lean on the window sill, feeling the boost of power drain further as the dying Labyrinth leeched it out of him, desperate to survive that little bit longer, even if that meant killing it's king and guardian.

"Can you find her, scry for her in a crystal?" Ilyi asked, knowing that her king's powers were low but hopeful.

"No, I do not have enough power left to do even that small thing."

"Will you look for her?"

"I have no choice, Ilyi, she's about to do something stupid."

"Why do you care? She stole from you, she's put this kingdom at risk and you're just going to run after her like some tame puppy!" Her normal cool exterior was gone as the healer gestured wildly with her arms, all the while muttering curses and cursing the pride and foolishness of the male species.

"As long as she remains here, as long as we had a deal, I have to make sure that she survives long enough to make good on that. I should not have to explain that to you, Ilyi, of all people, not to you!" He had a deal with Sarah and he had to make sure that she kept her end of the bargain, she had to stay alive to keep it and she had simply run off into the night, again, to fulfil her need to be a heroine. He growled to himself, ignoring Ilyi's continuing rant, feeling the magic growing less and less. "I have to find her before I lose the ability to drag her back, by her hair if necessary!" He snapped, jumping out of the window, transforming into an owl only seconds before he hit the ground and soaring off into the night.

He reached the cave just as Sarah was emerging, her hands clutched to her chest and as she looked towards him all the colour seemed to drain from her face.

"Always the heroine, Sarah, I wonder, will you ever tire of it?" He jibed as she stared at him. Then before his bewildered eyes she reached down the front of her bodice, groping around until she found what she was looking for. The hand reappeared and Jareth saw that she was holding the Gem of Thetis in one dirty hand. "You did it!" He could not help but be amazed. "You actually..." a scream of rage from the cave cut him off and Sarah looked fearfully at the entrance, then pressed the stone into his hands and took a step back. "Sarah!" He warned.

"Take it and get out of here!" She shouted moving further away. "I know you can't get me away too, but get back to your castle, give the stone back to the one it belongs to! _Go_!" The dragon's head emerged from the cave and she took a run towards the king, tackling him. He grasped her to him.

"Not without you, little heroine," he hissed and shimmered as he started the teleportation process. It was not until he reached the castle that he realised that he had not had enough magic to transport both of them to the castle and that he had left Sarah lying in the sand at the mercy of the dragon.

_So there we have it, my chapter that really does read a little strangebut it was the best that I could do given the fact that my muse has run away. Probably a very sensible muse. I'll update as soon as I can._

_Artemis_


	10. Goddess

_Gargh! I've become the thing that I hate the most, I've become the author who can't keep her deadlines! First my muse ran away and then I got a little distracted by Harry Potter (I'm a sheep! Baa!). Anyway, excuses are pathetic so lets just say that I'm a bad person and leave it at that! Thanks out to my reviewers FaeireatHeart13, sweetbabby33, darklady26, notwritten, yodeladyhoo and FireShifter. All of you are wonderful (sends hugs). This one is only short, partly because my muse is evil and partly because that is the way that the story wants to tell itself (I don't tell the story, I just write it down)_

Chapter Nine: Goddess

Jareth looked up from his position on the floor of his study, still able to feel the sand digging into his back where it had gone up his shirt. The gem was firmly grasped in his hand and he stared up at the ceiling, cursing inwardly at his temperamental magic. It was now midmorning and he knew that he did not have the time to fly back and try to rescue Sarah. He had seen the dragon beginning to emerge from the cave and he knew that it was not going to take the situation lightly. Worse, there had been something familiar about the great creature, something that he could not place but it made the alarm bells which were already ringing in his mind turn into a raging cacophony. He knew that Sarah was now in grave danger, but until he had completed the task on his shoulders and returned the jewel to its rightful owner, his hands were tied, he could not go to her and for some reason that tore deep into him. He should hate her, he should detest the way that she had waltzed in and stolen from him, made the hell that his life had become even worse and now he wanted to rescue her. He was definitely twisted he thought with a grim laugh. Still, save her he wanted to, if only for the sake of the boy, he could not send Toby home knowing that his sister had gone to her death because of him, he would not let the boy, the child who would have been his heir, return to his life with that pain.

He sat up and looked at the jewel he still held clenched tightly in his fist. So much trouble over such a small thing, so many lives had been lost and so much had been taken, not just from him, but from his people too, all due to one stupid mistake made by one prince who was too proud to know when he was wrong. He got to his feet with a slight groan, noting there was sand in his shoes with a mutter of disapproval. Who would have thought that he and his ancient ancestor shared so much in common?

Not willing to let the hard won gem out of his sight again, he left the study with it still held tightly in his hand, making his way to the infirmary, knowing that Ilyi would be there. As he pushed the door open she looked up from her chair by Toby's bed, the boy was awake and sitting up in bed, propped up by a mountain of pillows. The look of hope on his face slipped as he saw Jareth and not his sister enter. Jareth smiled at the boy and gestured with his free hand for the healer to follow him out of the room. Ilyi saw the gem glint in the sunlight that shone through the window and frowned, doing as she was bidden.

"Where's Sarah?" She asked as soon as she closed the door behind her.

"The dragon has her," his voice was low and she thought she could hear worry there.

"So you just left her, she got the jewel and got what she deserved, right?" He could tell that she did not believe her own words, she was needling him and hoping for a reaction. Unfortunately for him, she was hitting all of the right buttons.

"You know that I don't think that. I'll punish her in my own way, Ilyi, I don't need you to tell me how to run my kingdom!" He could feel rage building behind his eyes, seeing red in a way that he never had before and it scared him a little, enough to make him take a step back from the woman in front of him and rethink his behaviour. "I tried to get her out, Ilyi, but there wasn't enough magic." The healers eyes filled with something like pity and he felt the rage building again. He did not want pity, he wanted his kingdom to be right, he wanted it so that Sarah had never returned and now he had to save her because he needed her to take the boy back to the mortal realms. The dragon also seemed to have a unhealthy interest in the Williams family and that made him all the more suspicious. What could the dragon want with a couple of mortals?

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Sarah landed on the sand with a soft thud, gaining a mouthful of the salty grit in the process and muttering a curse as she spat out the irritating grains, wiping her tongue on her arm and cursing a little more when it only added to the sand. She had hoped for a mad moment that he would still be there, that Jareth had not abandoned her. His words had been a promise of sorts, telling her that he was going to get her out of harms way. She had known in her heart, however, that he did not have the power to help her and she stumbled to her feet, knowing that it would be useless to run from the creature now emerging from the cave behind her, but not willing to go down without a fight. At least Jareth would take care of Toby for her, she had been able to ensure that much. Something struck the back of her head and she went down into the sand again, the edges of her vision greying slightly before she was dealt another blow and everything went black.

When Sarah came too she was on her back and staring up at a rocky ceiling. She frowned as she felt pain lancing through her, her whole body hurt and she wanted only to curl up into a ball and weep with the agony. She knew that she could not, however, she had to escape the dragon and find her way back to the Goblin Castle, or to her home and from there to the Labyrinth. She pushed herself into a sitting position and tried to stand. Pain shot through her again, making her bite back a scream and she fell back to the ground.

"You're awake I see," a woman muttered from beside the pool. She was beautiful, tall and lithe, her silver hair hung to the back of her knees and her eyes were two deep pits of swirling gold. Her lips, full and sensual, were curved into a mocking smile, and her dress was a floor length affair in deep greens and pale blue, clasped around her waist with a silver rope belt and held at the shoulders by two silver broaches. Despite the silver locks, she looked young, probably no older than Sarah, but she knew that appearances could be deceiving and she blinked as she saw something shift about the other woman.

"The dragon..." Sarah started and the woman cut her off with a laugh, unlike her appearance, however, the laughter was not beautiful. Rather it cut into Sarah and the room seemed to swim a little.

"The dragon shall not bother us," like her laugh, her voice was strange, it had a echoing quality to it that made Sarah's ears hurt.

"Can you help me? Help me get out of here?" Sarah asked, once again trying to get to her feet and once again defeated by a wave of pain and nausea. She growled in frustration and took the opportunity to look at her legs, seeing for the first time why she could not stand. Her left leg was at an odd angle, broken, though fortunately nothing that should never see the light of day could be seen.

"Why would I want to help you mortal?" The woman questioned back and Sarah could sense power there, power that terrified her and she pushed herself away. "That's right, little thief, but don't worry yourself too much, I will not kill you so long as I get what I want."

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Jareth paced his study, waiting for the announcement that Thetis had arrived in the castle, his thoughts, not on the task at hand, but rather, on the woman who may or may not have been alive in a cave with an irate dragon.

"Damn you, Sarah! Why are you always the heroine?" He hissed at the uncomprehending wall, not expecting an answer, still surprised when he did not receive one. Finally, more for something to do than anything else, he picked up he soft velvet pouch he had placed the stone into, feeling the reassuring weight in his hands yet fearing that the price he had paid to have it retrieved was too high. Who was he to trade the life of another for a stone, even if that stone would be the one thing standing between the death of his kingdom and his people. Had he truly become so lost that he could willingly trade the life of another for his realm, the place he should be so willing to trade his own life for, the way that his mother had done, the way his father had and so on, back through the generations, his family destroyed and weakened by that single rash act of another. The line of the Goblin King was tarnished beyond everything else in the Fae realms. Their magic temperamental, strong when they were desperate enough and weak when all things ran as smoothly as could be expected. They were cursed and despised by almost all and even his old allies had abandoned him after his mother had been taken by Thetis in part payment for the crimes of Jaylen. Something prickled in the back of Jareth's mind and he knew, then, that the goddess had arrived at the gates and it was time to go to the throne room to greet her. Clutching the jewel for a moment longer, he left his study and made his way to the throne room, moving through the twisting corridors with practised ease.

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The first time Thetis had come to the castle of the Goblin King, the walls had been hung with priceless tapestries, banners had flowed from the ceiling and the room had been immaculate, even the goblins themselves had been well groomed and polite. As the centuries passed, she had seen things change. As hard as Ilyinya and her descendants had tried, the place had begun to loose its grandeur as time and the weather had begun to take their toll. Tapestries were taken down to be repaired and never replaced, banners became tatty and finally disappeared altogether and the goblins began to grow thin and desperate, loud, coarse and unfeeling. She had seen a great kingdom fall to its knees and over the centuries she had forced herself to harden her heart to the suffering of the people and goblins. The lands on the edge of the kingdom had been the first to die, even though over the border everything was well. It was in this place that the human subjects dwelt. The children who had been wished to the king and their offspring. As hardy as humans were, they were no match for the survival capabilities of the goblins and as the centuries wore on they either abandoned the Goblin Realm or died out. Thetis doubted that there was a single human village inhabited by even one human in the whole kingdom. Now, even the goblins were finding it hard and she had to admit that had it of been any other of her possessions which had been stolen from her, Thetis would have relented long ago and lifted the curse. This jewel, however, had been a gift from her long dead son and she had treasured it beyond all of the other gifts he had given her, his hard won prize and the last that he had ever bestowed upon her before his death.

As she walked through the doors of the throne room of the last Goblin King, she was forced to admit that perhaps she had gone a little too far. Jareth was sat on his throne, his eyes sunken and ringed with the black of sleepless nights. He had a permanently worried air about him which had not been there a century before and he seemed to have lost weight from his already slender frame. In the swirling depths of his mismatched eyes she could see the grave concern and a wary triumph, yet his whole posture spoke loudly of defeat. On one side of the throne stood his healer, her violet eyes averted from both king and goddess, as though one of them would see something there that they would not like, on the other side of the king, on a simple wooden chair sat a teenaged boy, hair the colour of sunlight and eyes that were startlingly blue. The boy, too, was pale and thin and his legs and hands were heavily bandaged, he was obviously mortal and it made the goddess wonder at Jareth's reasoning for there was no denying that he had once attempted to mark the boy, a marking that had either never been completed or it had been broken.

"Goddess," Jareth rose from his throne, gesturing to the boy to remain seated even as he tried to stand. He bowed and took the opportunity to examine her attire. As always she wore a floor length dress, this one clasped over one shoulder with an intricate golden broach, the sea green material of the dress brushing the floor behind her, leaving a trail of seawater as it gathered around her feet.

"Goblin King," she curtseyed as he bowed. "I am come to claim that which was stolen from me." She told him then, their ritual words.

"I have that which was taken," his voice sounded exhausted, his shoulders were slumped. "I have but one question before I hand it to you." She frowned but nodded, almost knowing the question he would ask. "Will you lift the curse on my kingdom once I have returned it to you?" His eyes were intent, even as the rest of him seemed to have given up on life entirely.

"I will." She bowed her head to him and he nodded, taking a single step towards her, her merguards raised their tridents and she held up a staying hand. Jareth covered the remaining distance between them in a few more quick steps and deposited pouch and jewel into the waiting goddess' hands. She opened it and looked inside, before looking back at the Goblin King. Out of the window, clouds began to roll over the desert. "The curse is lifted, the fate if your kingdom remains in your hands." She made a gesture and her guards stood to one side to allow her to pass.

Outside, rain began to fall. Not the devastating torrents that had once plagued his kingdom for centuries at a time, but the soft, life giving rain that fell slowly, cooling the stone with a gentle caress before beginning to sink into the hard dirt.

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Jareth sat in the window of his bedchamber, looking out over the landscape, though night had fallen and the rain had stopped, clouds still drifted over the city. He knew that it would be a long time before the damaged land was once again fertile and soft enough to grow plants and food, but the time would come and perhaps he would live to see it happen. Perhaps now he would live to see the day when his land and people were once again strong and proud, where the only things he had to truly worry about were the taxes, the laws and the wished away. He smiled as he saw several young goblin children dancing in the puddles in the centre of the well worn paved street as their parents gathered in the buckets they had placed outside, still having to view water as a valuable commodity and not one to be squandered. Soon the day would come when the wells would be full and they would not longer have to worry about where the next drink came from, though in the back of his mind he always would.

Even as he thought, he began to feel doubt. He still had one other task before he was free to begin rebuilding that which had so nearly been destroyed. He had one person to rescue, one chance to be the hero, to prove that he was not truly the villain that he was able to portray so well. He still had to rescue Sarah from the dragon and he knew by the way that the bells in his head were still raging something about the situation was not right. Defeating the dragon may be a greater task than he had anticipated. Still, he could not leave Sarah to die when she had helped him to save his kingdom, despite the fact that she had disobeyed his orders and it was by her own hand that the realm had so nearly fallen. He could be cruel, but to leave her at the mercy of such a creature was beyond even him. Besides, he had not taken the easy way out three hundred years before, he was not about to start now.

He rose from the window and stretched, smiling as he took a long drink of clear rain water from the glass beside his bed, listening as the rain began to fall slowly again. He had preparations to make.

_I'm sorry it's so short, I really am! I would make it longer, but that cuts into the material for the next chapter and the next chapter really has to be a chapter in it's own right. I promise (hand on heart) that I will have the next part up by this time next week. I fairly certain that I've only got two chapters to go, though I may have to condense them into one chapter so please don't hurt me if it works out that way! Please, please R&R!_

_Artemis_


	11. Rescue

_Gargh! Another flashback bit, I hate those. I wrote this bit as part of my early fleshing out stage, but then decided I liked it, so I put it onto the beginning of the chapter, just a word of warning, it jumps a little but I think it makes sense. Thanks out to my reviewers: FaerieatHeart13, yodeladyhoo, sweetbabby33, darklady26 and FireShifter_

Chapter Ten: Rescue

_One Hundred Years Ago._

Jareth sighed as the sun once again rose over his parched kingdom. Looking out of his window over the Labyrinth he could see the last remaining areas of green life on its borders, life that gradually died out and became desert. On the outskirts of the Labyrinth was a camp, full of human refugees who had fled their dead homes and come to seek the protection of their king. He could do nothing for them, he could do still less for himself. He turned from the window and with a gesture was bathed and clothed, at least with this tiny thing he was able to save a little water for those who were without.

The problem was, his magic was not as strong as it had been when his mother had ruled in his place, and some days it scared him with how difficult it was to do things that many Fae found simple. To make it worse, there was no end in sight for him, Thetis had been and left disappointed four days before. He thought about it as he made his way to the throne room, knowing from experience that he had to conserve as much magical energy as possible, never wasting it on unnecessary flights or teleporting. A tiny goblin scurried up to him, whispering a brief message in his ear before continuing past him, trembling and muttering, afraid. Jareth scowled at the news and entered the throne room, not surprised to see a woman in there.

What he _was_ surprised about, was the fact that she was sat on his throne, looking for all of the world like she belonged there. Even sitting she looked graceful, her long silver hair piled on her head and falling over her shoulders in a liquid cascade. Her dress was golden, caught with broaches at the shoulders and a chain of silver at the waist. She stood and turned her golden eyes to him, mouth curved in a sensual smile as she approached him, hips swaying hypnotically and had he not already been in the presence of a goddess in recent days he knew that he would have fallen under the glamour she was producing.

"Hello, Jareth," She purred and he felt his ears burn at the sound of her voice, the odd echos jarring through him and setting his teeth on edge, the same way that she always did.

"Dysnomia," he bowed to her, careful to keep his dislike from his tone, minor though she was, she was a goddess still.

"Such formality," she laughed and he could have sworn that he felt his ears starting to bleed. He simply smiled in reply and gestured for one of the goblins to bring wine and another a chair. They scurried away to do his bidding and he turned back to Dysnomia, knowing that she would not give him her reasons for being there until she was comfortable and the appropriate hospitable gestures had been made.

"How is Eris?" He asked as he was presented with a small glass of deep red wine. He took it with a nod as Dysnomia accepted her own and sat in the chair he had provided.

"My mother is quite well, Jareth, if a little put out with you," she sent him a brief, mocking scowl which he brushed off a little irritably, resenting that the same comment was made each time.

"I am afraid that as much as I don't mind the odd, random little bit of chaos, I dislike it on a permanent basis, as do most of my subjects, especially the kind that your mother seems to adore. It is easier to organise things in the event of a problem rather than wait for the problem to develop. I would ask if you agreed, but I think I can already guess the answer." From the expression on her face, he knew that he had insulted her by dismissing the notion of continual chaos in his kingdom, but like the goddess of discord and strife, Dysnomia thrived on the lack of order, most especially, the breakdown in the legal system which would inevitably follow. "Despite the failings of my ancestors, I still try to take pride in how well I can rule my people."

"Despite that, you cannot find a way to lift this curse." She snapped.

"I know how to lift it, I simply lack to tool with which to do it," he did not rise to the bait and she seemed to realise that her chosen course was not working.

"What if I told you," Jareth's head was beginning to hurt, he was now positive that his brain was dribbling out of his ears, "that _I_ could lift the curse?" Her tone was conspiratorial and she leant forward, gazing at him intently and he found himself wanting to wriggle out from under the golden glare.

"I would ask what the price was," he replied, already suspecting what she was going to ask and knowing that the cost would be too high.

"Tempt me, make me an offer," she replied coyly, looking at him through her eyelashes. He suppressed a shudder.

"I think not," he set his wine glass down, not surprised when it shattered seconds later. "I have a feeling that no matter what I were to offer you, it would not be enough, nor would it be what you want."

"If I were to become your wife..." she hinted and he cut her off instantly.

"I would never invite the chaos you inspire into this realm willingly. I have trouble enough to deal with! A kingdom full of subjects convinced that the law does not apply to them would be the final straw!" He said the words without thinking and was not surprised when the goddess screamed in fury.

"You will regret this!" She shouted. "Your impertinence will not go unpunished!" She threw her wine to the floor, marching from the room and disappearing into the maze of corridors. Jareth sighed, it would not surprise him if he received a visit from Eris later in the day. However, Eris alone he could handle, it would be her deciding to bring all of her daughters with her that he could not face the thought of. On her own, Dysnomia was enough, he would not be surprised if several were arrested for a variety of crimes later in the day.

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_Present Day._

Jareth flew over the Labyrinth, feeling the soft rain in his light feathers and cursing that owls were poorly designed for wet weather flying. He could already feel the life returning to his kingdom, goblins, humans and animals alike finally able to take their fill of water without fear. The rain had been falling on and off for the last couple of days and Jareth had taken a long awaited flight to properly survey the damage to his Labyrinth and the surrounding lands. Even though he was well aware that Sarah still needed to be rescued, he was still trying to work out how to accomplish such a feat. The dragon arriving at a time when he had been at his weakest, organising for the one thing that could save his people to be taken, that did not sound like the behaviour of a normal dragon.

Though it was impossible for him to smile in his owl form, Jareth could feel the joy surging through him as he watched goblin children dancing in the soft rain. This was not the hard, terrible torrent that used to fall, this rain was light, the kind that seeped into things and would not be noticed until it was almost too late. He could feel his feathers getting heavier and found that he had to turn back to the castle. As he swooped in through the window, he transformed back into his human form, revelling in the new ease with which he could do it, even if he was not quite up to standard. Still, the transformation had its draw backs, he still felt damp and he had the scent of wet feathers in his nostrils as he made his way to the infirmary to see Toby, he had spent a lot of time over the last several days getting as many details about the cave as possible from the teenager and despite that, he still did not have a plan. More and more it was beginning to look like he would have to challenge the dragon outright and this was an idea that he hated. It was not that Jareth was a coward, far from it, rather, he was painfully aware that it would leave too many openings for things to go wrong. He had learnt the day that Sarah had defeated him that he was not unbeatable.

The infirmary was silent but for the soft breathing of a sleeping boy. Ilyi was nowhere to be seen and for that Jareth was grateful, she would only have scolded him for flying in the rain and he was in no mood to be lectured. He looked at the sleeping teen in silence, eyes cataloguing the changes that fifteen years had made and he felt the tiniest pang of regret and jealousy that Sarah had been able to watch this remarkable boy grow whilst he had been cut from his life, not even able to look in on him as his magic had weakened. He looked away, no longer able to stand the feelings that the child in front of him evoked within him and looked out of the window. The sun was beginning to set and he was quickly running out of time to rescue Sarah, he knew the dragon would only keep her alive for so long. It was time for him to get a good nights sleep, the next morning he would go to the cave on horse back, with his sword and his armour and hopefully emerge victorious. He looked once more at Toby, smoothed a golden curl from his forehead and left the room.

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After two days of hard travel, Jareth had arrived at the cave by the sea. The tide was slowly receding from the shoreline and he felt a thrill of fear that he knew he would never truly be without after a lifetime with the constant threat of drowning. He took a deep, calming, breath as he dismounted, checking the hilt of his sword was clear of his damp cloak before beginning to wade through the icy sea water to the cave entrance. The water splashed around him, seeping into his leather boots and numbing his toes and feet, if he could fight effectively after this, he would have been truly amazed.

He was surprised to find that the cave was almost completely deserted as he made his way up the incline and out of the salty water, his approach had not been at all stealthy and he slipped on a pile of coins as he finally reached dry land. He quickly squashed the curse that threatened to escape his lips and regained his footing with a little difficulty as the coins slithered and clinked. A whisper from the other side of the central pool caught his ear and he made his way towards it. Sarah lay staring at the wall, her emerald eyes wide and disturbingly vacant, her lips moving as she whispered the words to a song. It took a few moments for him to realise that it was the song he had sung her on her first visit to the Labyrinth. He crouched beside her

"Time to go, little damsel," he whispered in her ear and she turned her head to look at him, frowning as she struggled to focus.

"Jareth?" She questioned blankly. "What are you doing here?"

"It's my turn to be the hero, Sarah, you can't have all of the glory to yourself." He smirked at her and she shook her head, her eyes frantic.

"No, why are you here? You can't be here! If you're here then she'll be here any second! You can't be here, Jareth! You have to leave!" He scowled at her, wondering if a fever had addled her wits.

"Well, well, well, isn't this just wonderfully out of character!" A discordant voice exclaimed from behind them, and Jareth heard water moving as someone, or something, climbed out of the pool behind them. He turned to look and saw the dragon, it's scales, a mixture of deep greens and the palest blues were glittering in the strange light of the cave, it's soft underbelly glowing soft silver. His hand went to his sword as he rose from his uncomfortable position on the floor. The dragon laughed and he felt the familiar sensation of his brain beginning to melt. He began a running mantra in his head, trying to convince himself that what he suspected was not fact.

"She's back," Sarah whispered, then and he glanced at her, noting the fear on her face and looked again at the dragon. It's long mouth opened in a kind of grin before it shuddered and then began to melt into itself. Scales of blue and green morphed into the soft silk of a flowing dress, soft silver became long, flowing silver locks, even as the face drew back into itself. Only the eyes remained the same, pools of liquid gold as the treasure around them shimmered into nothingness.

"Hello, Jareth," she purred and he shuddered. Her eyes went flat and she glared at him for a moment before breaking into a smile. "It seems that I have something you want." She walked towards him, her every movement a hint and an offer, stopping when she reached Sarah and nudging the semi conscious woman with her foot. "Quite _why_ you want her back is a mystery to me, she _did_ steal from you after all."

"Yes, and I shall punish her as I see fit too! Dysnomia, she is _mine_ to do with as I will, her crime was against me." He insisted and the tall goddess laughed.

"She stole from me also, as did the boy, they were mine to do with as I would."

"I have a prior claim on her, besides, given your nature and influence, did you really expect any less?" He reasoned and he saw Dysnomia take a step back to think.

"A trade, then?" She said finally and Jareth felt his stomach drop. "For the mortal."

"I won't marry you, Dysnomia." He insisted, aware that he was insulting her and not caring, not even the mortal at his feet was worth the safety of his kingdom. To his surprise, she laughed again.

"That ship has long since sailed, Goblin King," Jareth was not sure if he was relieved or a little hurt. "I don't need a man who will use others to complete the duties that are his. Had you come for the jewel yourself..." She trailed off, watching as Jareth looked down at Sarah. The young woman seemed to be becoming more lucid as the moments passed. "There is _one_ thing and one thing _only_ I will take from you, Jareth, in exchange for that gem." The pit in Jareth's stomach grew wider. "You and I will spend the night together, a night of _passion_." The emphasis of the last word made him suppress yet another shudder and wonder, not for the first time, _why_ he was still doing this.

"Jareth, no," Sarah whispered, "don't do this for me. Just leave me, take care of Toby."

"It won't kill me, Sarah," he replied softly, crouching down next to her and touching her matted locks with a gloved hand. "You helped me save my kingdom."

"I nearly killed it," she reminded him, it was almost as though she _wanted_ him angry enough to leave her and he had to wonder what else it was that she knew. He pushed that away too, determined to do what he had come to, focussing on getting her back for the sake of her brother.

"This is touching, but it's that or your kingdom, Jareth, and if you refuse... well, I'm sure I can think up a nicely interesting way for her to die. You could even stay and watch." Dysnomia told him and for a second he _was_ tempted to give her his kingdom and run with Sarah, but the girl was not worth his kingdom, not worth the innocent lives that would be ruined, the suffering and fear that an eternity under the rule of Dysnomia would bring. To leave Sarah to die, that went against everything in his nature, he wanted her punished certainly, but not to kill her, he had lost that urge when she had pushed herself to retrieve the stone.

"_One_ night, Dysnomia, and Sarah is mine to do with as I will. I trust that you will be leaving once you have what you came for..." The minor goddess nodded, though he could see that she was pouting. "Then shall we take this somewhere a little more private?"

"Why? Don't you think that she would like to watch?" The goddess moved close enough to begin playing with the collar of his soft shirt. "As her punishment for what she did to us..." It was not really a question and given Dysnomia's other price, Jareth bit down a retort and obeyed.

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Several hours later, the morning sun was shining through the cave entrance. Sarah watched through dry, hazy eyes as Jareth buttoned his shirt, his back to her, ten long, bleeding scratches down his back, brilliant red blood seeping through the thin fabric as he bit down on a hiss of pain. When he turned to her, he refused to meet her eyes and shame flooded through her. All she wanted was that he had left her to die at the hands of the vengeful creature because she knew that things were just going to get a whole lot worse.

When he picked her up, he was gentle with her, almost tender, cradling her to him like she was made of the finest china and it only enhanced her feelings of shame. He had given of himself for her, had allowed himself to be used as a plaything in order to win her freedom and she felt tears sting her eyes as she turned her face and buried it in his chest.

Jareth looked down at her, feeling her tears seeping through his shirt and realised that this was probably the first time she had allowed herself to cry since she had come from her world. He felt dirty and used, wanting nothing more than to wash his hands of the entire situation and sink into happy oblivion and the work of getting his kingdom back on track. However, he still had to get Sarah back to her home, to send her brother with her and he knew that he would have to reorder time in the mortal realm so that she would not suffer any ill consequences as a result of her experiences in his kingdom.

He was still thinking as he placed her into the saddle of his horse, balancing her carefully before swinging up behind her and wrapping an arm tightly around her waist as they moved forward, away from the cave and away from the memories. More and more, this was beginning to look less and less like it was Sarah's fault. She had been manipulated, she had the one thing that it was widely known that the Goblin King had loved. It was also well known that he had desired her, Dysnomia had chosen well in her quest for vengeance.

They arrived back at the castle nearly three days later, Sarah was still weak, but she was no longer under the influence of whatever spell Dysnomia had placed on her. Ilyi was revelling in her restored powers and she had already healed Toby of all of his ills by the time they had returned. The boy's reaction to his sister had been a cry of alarm and as Ilyi examined her, he had hovered by her bed, touching her hand at odd intervals as if trying to reassure himself that she was real. Jareth retired to his bed immediately, not using his magic at all so that when the time came he could send her back home and reorder time for her once again.

He had now almost forgiven her, having seen the lengths that desperation and loyalty to family could drive her too. He knew that he could never forgive her deceiving him, but they _had_ talked about that night those short weeks ago, whether he believed her was another matter entirely and he decided that he needed time to think on it before he made his decision. One thing was completely clear to him, though, he wanted Sarah out of his kingdom and out of his life.

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In the infirmary, Ilyi paused during her magical examination of Sarah and frowned. Jareth had been less than forthcoming about how Sarah had gotten the key to the chest from him and had said even less about how he had gotten her back. Now she had detected something that solved at least a small part of the puzzle as she had been healing minor cuts and bruises, both internal and external. She allowed herself a small smile and went back to her work.

"Jareth," Sarah breathed and began to struggle out of the magically induced sleep. "She wants to poison him, the cuts on his back!" Her eyes snapped open and she grasped Ilyi's wrist. "Check the scratches on his back," she whispered before falling back into the dream. Ilyi frowned again as another part clinked into place and deepened the sleep as she filed away that piece of information for later use.

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Two days later Jareth transported a completely healed Sarah and Toby to the back of the Tintagel cave.

"Three hours have passed here since you made your way into the cave," he told them, looking exhausted, his hair sticking at odd angles and large black bags under his eyes, Sarah frowned feeling like she had forgotten something. "It was the best I could do."

"You didn't have to," she told him, still not able to meet his eyes and see the haunted expression there, terrified of what he would see in hers.

"I told you, Sarah, I'm not the enemy here, and I rather enjoyed the opportunity to be a hero this time." His voice was flat and he sounded like he had barely slept in the last two days.

"Does that mean that none of it happened?" Toby asked, breaking up a potential argument.

"It happened, Toby, be assured of that." He hesitated then held his closed fist out to Sarah, opening it to reveal a broken chain and an emerald pendent. "I believe this is yours." She looked at it with a mixture of fear, sorrow and longing.

"I thought I'd lost it," she took it from him, her eyes full of gratitude, "thank you." He simply nodded and they stood in awkward silence for a moment longer.

"The tide is coming in, you should leave," he told her.

"Will we see you again?" Toby asked and Jareth looked at him through weary eyes.

"I don't know. Farewell," he raised his hand, shimmered and was gone.

_Don't panic, it isn't finished yet, I have one more chapter to go which will be up by this time next week. I won't leave you hanging but I couldn't bring myself to make Jareth and Sarah have a screaming hissy fit at each other, to be quite honest, given their situations, I think it would be a little embarrassing. R&R and until next time._

_Artemis_


	12. Epilogue

_Woot! 5802 words, this has to be, by far, the longest chapter I've written in my short and crazy time here! We have finally reached the end. My thanks go out to all those who read and watched my progress and my hugs and love go out to all my amazing reviewers! So big thanks to FaerieatHeart13, FireShifter, sweetbabby33, yodeladyhoo and darklady26 as well as all those who reviewed past chapters. Again, thank you. So on we go._

Chapter Eleven: Epilogue.

Jareth made it back to the castle before he collapsed. Ilyi was there, waiting for him, her face a mask of irritation and concern. He looked up at her through hazy eyes and she gestured for several of his goblin guard to come forward and take him.

"You should have let me look at those scratches sooner," she whispered as he was moved to his chambers. Jareth shook his head, he had wanted to see Sarah gone for himself, had wanted to know that she was gone from his life and would never again bring to mind the pain and humiliation he had lived through the last month. Ilyi simply sighed and shook her head, moving about him quickly as she tried to identify the poison.

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Sarah looked down at the white stick in her hand, her other absently rubbing her stomach. She did not really need it to tell her anything, she already knew the answer, the bump she was rubbing and the missed periods were enough to tell her all that she needed to know as she waited. At first she had though that it was a reaction to the magic of the Underground and the time reordered, a lack of proper nourishment and insufficient amounts of sleep, not to mention torture and illness, but after the second she had begun to worry and as the third failed to come, she knew that she was in trouble. The test she had chosen did not rely on the interpretation of lines, or a panel turning blue, it spelled things out, loud and clear and as she watched the screen changed, a word faded into view.

_-Pregnant-_ It read and even though she had known it all along, she was still a little surprised. She did not show enough that she needed new clothes, though some of her skirts were a little tight and she had forgone jeans entirely since her return. The loose kaftan she wore now hid the bump her hand was pressed over so protectively and she sighed. There was only one person who could have been the father and that would mean facing the cause of so much shame, anger and pain. It would mean returning to a place that held almost nothing but bad memories for her, the one good memory tainted by a course of action she had been too foolish to try to avoid. Still she had to go, she could not allow this child to be born into a cold world devoid of magic and rife with iron.

The phone rang downstairs and it was with a little effort that she pulled herself from the edge of the bath and made her way downstairs grabbing her bag and coat as she passed the table, ignoring the shrill ring altogether, knew it would be her boss calling to check up on her and desperate to avoid him. Keys came next and she shrugged the coat on as she opened the front door to the tiny cottage she lived in, certain that this would be the last time she would leave it and surprised to find she felt not regret, only healthy fear of what the future held for her. Closing the door behind her, she turned and looked at the house once, imprinting it on her memory and wondering if maybe, just maybe, she would be able to persuade someone to build her a house that would match it, somewhere in a place of magic and wonder where she could raise her child, and Jareth's, without fear of discovery by the unenlightened. A soft hand rested on the door handle for a moment longer before she pulled the key from its key ring and slipped it under the mat. She would not need it again and she did not want the door to be broken down as people attempted to find her. Then she was in her car, driving away from the life she knew and all of her worldly possessions, everything that had made her who she was. She had no need of them now, not where she was going.

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Ilyi felt something in her wards around Sarah shift and the healer knew that the young woman had discovered what she alone knew. Sarah would head for the one entrance to the Underground she was sure of, probably to go into hiding and raise the child of the king in peace and solitude. The healer had always known that this possibility existed within Sarah's heart, she and Jareth had suffered too much for each other to let her return to the castle of her own free will. The Fae woman looked at the male stood at her side, his face grave and his brilliant blue eyes distant as he looked at the woman opposite him. Where he was fair, she was dark, her eyes deep and stormy, her black hair tied back in a tight braid as his golden locks fell free and unfettered. To look at them, you would never have known that they were twins.

"I cannot help, brother," she told him, her tone haughty and she tightened her grip on the bow clasped lightly in her left hand. "My healing lies with children, not men. He is more _your_ area of expertise." The healer god looked a little put out with his older twin and a scowl marred his sunny features.

"Artemis... I am asking for your assistance, not your guidance." His voice was deathly quiet and even with the dark threat that hid there and the loss, it sounded like sunbeams dancing on the water.

"Apollo, brother, if I _could_ help, I would. Jareth has been one of my staunchest defenders in recent years and his family has always been close with the moon and the hunt, but I simply cannot do as you ask. I have not the strength we once did."

"Nor do I, but we cannot allow Dysnomia to gain a foot hold in this kingdom, the heavens only know what she will do once she has easy access to the Above." It was all true, Ilyi knew, as the human belief in the old gods dwindled and mortals ceased to evoke their name, the power of these ancient entities had wavered and died until, for many, there was little more than a shade left as the pursuits which had made them so revered had died out or changed. Eris and her daughters had always found a recess and power in the darkness of the hearts of mortal, fae and mythical beast alike, their power, though still not what it once was, was strong none the less.

"Forgive me, Lord, Lady," Ilyi bowed to each in turn, "I believe that I may have found the solution to our problem. If you would permit me to retrieve her..." Apollo nodded and waved a hand. Ilyi shimmered and vanished, reappearing at the entrance to the human realm and making her way through barriers and cave with complete ease.

The woman she was waiting for was stood at the entrance to Merlin's Cave, her coat pulled tightly about her as the wind blew through her, teasing strands of her dark hair and giving her a dishevelled appearance.

"I had a feeling you would return here, Sarah."

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Sarah parked her car at the closed gates and sighed, the wind _would_ be high today, strong enough to make it dangerous to try and get to the beach below Tintagel Castle, yet attempt it she must. She was desperate to get back to the Underground with as little fuss and the tiniest possibility of being discovered that she could manage. She clambered over the gate and made her way down the rocky path, pulling her coat tighter about her as she felt the first drops of rain touch the exposed skin of her throat. The rocks were slippery underfoot and more than once she was forced to grab at random parts of vegetation in order to keep her footing.

Eventually she reached the cave mouth and it was there that she paused, finally taking a moment to think about what it was that she was doing. She was about to leave her life and her world, to go to a place she still knew so little about, a place where she could not be guaranteed that she would survive to give birth to the child, let alone childbirth itself. Sarah was no stranger to the fact that childbirth was dangerous, even though she had not experienced it herself, a friend of Thomas' and later her own, had nearly bled to death when she haemorrhaged after the birth of her second child. Sarah had no desire to go through that, yet with a baby who was half human and half fae on the way, she could not run the risk of staying in the mortal world. She had no idea how life there would affect it.

"I had a feeling you would be here Sarah," a soft female voice brought her out of her reverie and as Sarah looked at the fae healer, the annoying sense that she had forgotten something came back to her. She frowned as Ilyi stepped forward, conjuring a cape out of nowhere and settling it about the mortal woman's shoulders. "Come with me, Jareth has need of you." Just like that her memory returned and she gripped Ilyi's hand hard as she struggled to get her words out.

"Is he alright? The poison?" Far from Ilyi questioning her knowledge, the older woman simply nodded and began to lead Sarah deeper into the cave.

"You managed to warn us in advance, the poison is degenerative and until a few days ago he was stable, we've been able to keep him alive but not cure him."

"Why?" She asked, not willing to face the idea that the father of the child she carried, the father she had wanted to hold information from, was dying.

"The cure requires a rather specific ingredient, the blood of the mother of his child." Ilyi ignored the face that Sarah pulled before the mortal asked the question that was on her waiting lips.

"Jareth doesn't _have_ any children. Who could give it to him?"

"Dysnomia is a goddess, Sarah, do not forget it, and she wants nothing more than control over the Labyrinth and all of the realm it lies in. She ensured that she fell pregnant that night she forced Jareth to lie with her and now she is holding her contribution to the cure over our heads. The other gods are powerless to do anything to stop her."

"Why?" Sarah questioned again and when Ilyi made her answer it was a full of contempt and ridicule.

"Because they no longer wish to involve themselves with the affairs of lesser lived life forms. Apollo only responded to my plea because he trained me himself, and Artemis followed because Jareth has always been of interest to her, he is a night hunter himself and I think she enjoys the silent company of the owl some nights." As they reached the portal to the fae world, Ilyi held a hand out to Sarah and the mortal woman hesitated for a moment before taking it. "Once we reach the other side, I will take us both to the castle. It will be only a matter of time before Dysnomia realises that you have returned and you carry Jareth's child within you." Sarah went pale.

"How did you know?" She whispered and felt the healer grasp her hand tighter as she tried to take a step away.

"I'm a healer, Sarah, work it out," Ilyi smirked and lead her through the barriers before they both flickered and were back in the Goblin Castle, in the same suite of rooms which had been set aside for Sarah's use when she had first arrived. Sarah put her hand to her throat, brushing trembling fingers against the necklace that rested in the hollow there, emerald pendent replaced with a heavy silver cross on a piece of thick black ribbon. Then she fell to her knees, grasping for the chamber pot she knew was still under the bed and noisily emptied the contents of her stomach into the large porcelain bowl as Ilyi watched dispassionately. Finally she stopped and smiled her thanks to the healer as she was handed a cloth to wipe her face with.

"I'm sorry," she apologised and Ilyi managed to look a little contrite.

"It is I who should apologise, this often happens to women during pregnancy," she handed Sarah some leaves. "Chew these, peppermint, it should help calm your stomach." Sarah accepted them and placed them in her mouth, chewing a little hesitantly at first.

"I knew about morning sickness, but..."

"Teleportation can cause sickness as well. We must hurry." Ilyi turned to leave the room and Sarah's mouth seemed to finally catch up with her mind.

"Wait!" She called and Ilyi turned, her eyes confused even as she refused to let the emotion show on her face. "If Dysnomia is allowed to bargain with the king for the use of her blood then do I not have the same right?" Studied indifference became flinty anger and Sarah knew that she had struck the nail on the head and she was as entitled to a bargain as the goddess. "Good, we better hurry." She went to move past the fae woman and Ilyi stopped her, grabbing her arm hard enough to leave a bruise.

"Do not think that you can trick him in the same way that Dysnomia did? Jareth would no more marry you than her." Sarah did not let any emotion show on her face, burying the hurt she felt at the healers words deep within herself.

"I don't want him to marry me, I never expected him to. What I want is for us to discuss when the time is right." Her voice was low and sincere and Ilyi seemed to search her eyes before nodding and releasing her arm.

"Very well, follow me and pull up your hood, it would not do for you to be recognised at this moment." Sarah nodded and obediently pulled the hood over her hair, making sure that it came far enough forward that her face was obscured to the casual passer by. As they left she kept two steps behind the healer, her head down and her hands clasped in front of her, her skirt rustling softly around her ankles as she moved, soft boots making little noise. One or two of the castles inhabitants glanced at her curiously, she studiously ignored them, keeping her eyes on Ilyi's flowing skirts and swift steps.

When they entered the king's chambers the room had that peculiar stale smell that one associates with prolonged illness. Jareth lay in the bed, dark sheets pulled up to his chin as he slept fitfully, sweat beading on his forehead and his once slightly tanned skin now almost translucent. His glorious mane was spread out on the pillow, now lank and dull, odd strands stuck to his cheeks and neck and Sarah was horrified by how ill he looked. On either side of the bed was a person, one woman and one man and Sarah knew by looking at them that she was in the presence of gods, powerful ones. The dark eyes of the woman looked her over and Sarah felt a small part of her tremble and resisted the urge to curl into a tiny ball and hide. Brilliant blue then turned in her direction and she felt herself lost in their depths, lost in the war between the sun and the moon as the twin gods examined her like she was little more than a slab of meat.

"My Lord and Lady, this is Sarah," Ilyi curtseyed as she introduced her companion and was grateful that Sarah took the silent hint and followed suit. Apollo raised one eyebrow, his blue eyes travelling over Sarah's body, well hidden by the voluminous cloak, skirt and kaftan. Sarah blushed, seeming to realise that she was hardly dressed for meeting gods or royalty. Then something seemed to strike her and she looked at the twins, a frown maring her pretty face and her eyes becoming suddenly hostile.

"Why can't _they_ do anything?" She asked Ilyi and put her hands over her mouth the instant the final word left her lips. Both the gods looked angry, though Artemis looked murderous while Apollo had a slightly amused smile playing about his lips. Ilyi understood why. Artemis had always prized virginity as the highest of all virtues in a woman, protecting hers in ways that many a modern mortal woman would find a little excessive, in her present, unmarried state, Sarah would not be popular. Apollo was simply a red blooded male.

"We can do nothing, Sarah, because your kind is as fickle in its worship of gods as we are in our dealings with you." Apollo told her, his tone grave and his eyes distant.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that our power relies on your belief. We came into being when mortals and Fae alike began to believe in us," Artemis elaborated, leaving her side of the bed and coming to stand before Sarah. "We continue to exist purely because our names are immortalised in literature and taught in schools." Her eyes held unimaginable sorrow. "So many of us have faded from the universe, little more than shades in a cruel wasteland, memories on the wind." Her hands came forward and she rested them on Sarah's stomach, her gaze turning inward as she seemed to search, triumph lighting up her deep eyes as she found what she was looking for. "Jareth is indeed a very lucky man." She muttered then and looked into Sarah's eyes, seeming to sense her need to bargain for the life she was about to give or destroy.

"What would you ask of him in return?" Apollo questioned from the bed and Sarah started. "Because if you know it, now is quite possibly the only chance you will get." They all looked to the bed. Jareth's eyes were open, mismatched orbs full of pain and, oddly, acceptance.

"Sarah?" He breathed her name and she went to his side, hesitating as she looked at him properly, seeing the self loathing and disgust that he had hidden from her so well. "Why are you here?" His voice rasped in his throat and he moved a weak hand as if to brush her from his sight.

"I can help you," she told him, not daring to meet his eyes, not wanting to know what he thought of her, knowing she would see it in his eyes.

"And what would you ask of me? To make you a queen?" His eyes danced with mockery, whether for himself or for her no one could really be sure, but Sarah's head flew up and she met his eyes, her own crackling with anger.

"I never wanted to be queen, Jareth, I didn't intend for any of this. What I want from you is not for my benefit. It is for my child, _our_ child. All I want is a loving father, someone who will love this baby regardless of the crimes its mother committed against him. Can you do that, Jareth? Can you love this baby with all of your heart even knowing the circumstances in which it was created?" Something softened in the eyes of the king and the hand that would have pushed her away had he the strength now fell softly onto her own, eyes travelling to her belly, where their child was hidden under layers of clothing, safe within her womb.

"Our child," he whispered and he almost sounded awed, then he nodded once, weakly, and closed his eyes.

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Dysnomia walked purposefully through the corridors, making her way to Jareth's bedchamber, now the place of his confinement in his sickness, her dress cut tight to show the tiny bulge where her child, and Jareth's, grew. This was her moment, her time of triumph, because even if Jareth died in this way, if in his stubborn pride he chose to die rather than surrender his future to her, she would have gained what she wanted, because the baby she carried would be the only heir to the Goblin Throne and no newborn babe was capable of ruling a kingdom. Something still bothered her, however, something about the Williams woman she had tricked into bringing Jareth to her. Dysnomia would have been a fool not to smell Jareth's scent on her when she had brought the jewel to her. She had known in that moment how Sarah had managed to retrieve what was not rightfully hers to begin with and the goddess had to admire her ingenuity, even if it did concern her that they both had similar ideas of how to obtain what they wanted. Still, she decided as her hand went to the door handle, the Williams girl was gone, back in her mortal world, where she would not bother king or goddess again.

The door swung open under her soft touch to reveal soft sunlight bathing the sick room. Jareth was sat up in his bed and for the first time in two months, there was no sweat on his brow. He still looked sickly, still looked like he would keel over and die at any second, but the minor goddess knew better, she could feel the poison leaving his veins as she stood in the doorway, her smile of triumph turning into a grimace and finally a scream of rage. The sound caused the other inhabitants of the room to turn and she saw the twin gods, Artemis and Apollo smiling benignly at her, a sparkle of jubilation in their eyes and faces as they looked at her, completely aware that they had again thwarted her plans. Beside the twins stood a woman, shrouded in black, her hood pulled up to hide her face but it did little, Dysnomia recognised her by her scent.

"_You_!" She spat and made a move to grasp at her, stopped only by the bow Artemis swung in front of her, the long staff keeping her at bay.

"I think not," she smiled grimly at the lesser deity and Dysnomia took a step back as Apollo joined his sister. "This one falls under _our_ protection and we feel that our father has overlooked your scheming for too long." As Apollo took hold of the arm of the goddess of lawlessness, Artemis bowed to king and mortal. "We take our leave of you." She told them and the three were gone.

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Later Sarah decided that it had almost been too easy, that Artemis and Apollo being there just at the right moment was too much of a coincidence. Dysnomia's choice of poison and her finding herself with child at just the right time to save Jareth, a Fae to whom she owed not only her life, but a lot more besides. The thought kept her awake at night for three days and during that time she did not see Jareth. He did not ask for her and she did not attempt to go to him. There was too much unsaid between them, too many insults and too much shame. Finally, on the third day, he called her to him.

"You wanted to see me?" She curtseyed as she entered his chambers, keeping her eyes on the floor. Jareth nodded from his chair by the fire, not dressed in his daytime clothing but rather, in a pair of silk pajamas and the same soft robe she had borrowed on the day she had arrived in the castle all those long months ago.

"I did, Sarah," he ran his eyes over her, the dress she wore was of a soft forest green and it still hid the tiny bump that was the only physical evidence of their child's existence. "Sit," he gestured to the chair opposite and she hesitated before obeying his command. He gestured to the tiny table between them and she saw a steaming cup of tea join his. "As you can see, my magic is returning to me." He kept his tone neutral as she accepted the offered refreshment. Silence reigned between them, neither wanting to start what they knew would be a difficult conversation, one they had avoided since he had rescued her.

"Where will you go?" He asked finally, his voice soft, hesitant.

"Go?" She questioned and finally met his eyes, reading his meaning there. "I still want you to be a father to this child, if that's what you mean. I... I don't want you to be a weekend father, I want you to be _there_. Can you understand that?"

"It would mean living here, in the castle." He told her, now turning his gaze away and staring into the flames of the fire as they flickered and danced, bathing his still too pale skin in a soft orange glow. "Could you really live here with all of the things..."

"All the things that I've done?" She finished for him, anger in all her actions as she set the tea cup onto the table with shaking hands. "I'll have to. The guilt will never leave me, but I'll learn to live with it!"

"That was not what I meant," Jareth whispered, even as a small part of him rejoiced at knowing that she still felt guilty for betraying him another felt pity for her. "Stop trying to take all of the pain and thereby all of the glory in this." He held up a hand to silence her outraged squeal in reply to his statement. "I was, in fact, referring to the memories which we both share, some more shameful than others. Things that we have both done and seen."

"I did what I had to, I had to get Toby back, there's no shame in that." She told him, her face hard but her hands toyed with the hem of her shawl, betraying her uncertainty.

"Only shame in the way in which you did it," he muttered, "and in that we have something in common." Her eyes melted into uncertainty and he wondered for a moment if she remembered what he had done to rescue her from the clutches of the mad goddess. Uncertainty flickered to disgust and self loathing before settling in sorrow.

"You shouldn't have done that for me," she whispered, her eyes lowered again, her head bowed as if she hoped to hide her tears from him. "I would never have asked you to... _why_?" She demanded then. "After everything I did to you, stealing from you, betraying you, disobeying your commands and nearly destroying your kingdom, why did you do it? Did you enjoy it, was her idea of revenge fitting to you?" He waited for the questions to halt, listened to her scorn and mockery and anger in silence. These were the same things that he had asked himself so many times over the months since she had left him, since he had sent her away without even an explanation and if the truth were to be known, he had not had a proper answer until that moment.

"Because even if you chose the wrong course, your actions were done for the best of reasons. Each of them was a selfless act, for your brother, for my people, you asked me to leave you rather than give into Dysnomia and give her what she wanted, but in doing that, I would have been no better than her. Your actions were not your own, they were influenced by a creature far older and more cunning than either of us is capable of being." He kept his voice soft, musing on his answer even as the words left his surprised mouth. From her expression she was just as surprised as he and even as he took a moment to bring his thoughts together she spoke.

"You make it all sound so clinical, like you're examining it from a far off place. It isn't _like_ that for me, Jareth. I can't be so cold about it," there were more tears now and she cursed her hormones. "After I took that key and left you, I've never felt so dirty in my life. Even when I got home, after I'd achieved everything that I had set out to do, I could still _feel_ you all over me, forcing me to always acknowledge what I had done to you. I didn't plan it, please understand, none of it was planned. It happened and if I had thought about it then... well, jewel and betrayal and heroism be damned. I would have stayed there with you and given in a thousand times if I had thought that you would keep me safe and help me forget." He listened in silence, finding his own way to tell her what had been going through his mind as Dysnomia had made him her offer.

"My plan when I went into that cave was actually quite simple, Sarah, grab you and run for it. No heroics, no last stands, no miracle moments, just grab the girl, run and punish her in my own way. It seems that even the most cynical of us can he prone to moments of foolish heroics, because what is a hero but a lucky fool who holds onto some higher idea of purpose, someone flawed but making up for it in their own way. So instead of challenging Dysnomia, which was a stupid idea anyway, I gave into her terms and nearly died for it. It was _my_ choice, Sarah, and that night we shared, I had planned to seduce you, I wanted a moment of pleasure for myself and I paid the price for my greed." Again they fell silent and this time Sarah was the first to break it.

"What about Artemis and Apollo, if the gods are no longer willing to become involved in the politics of the other races, how come they were here?" She asked him.

"Ah, that." He laughed, though the sound was a little forced. "One of my better ideas in the last few centuries." He put a finger to his lips as he thought. "Perhaps three hundred years ago I realised that Dysnomia was plotting something, she had visited me several times since the death of my mother and she was beginning to get more and more brazen in her hints and attempts to gain access to my throne and kingdom. My mother had taught me as much as she could about the resident deities of these realms and among them, those who would make advantageous allies and those who would bring nothing except trouble and suffering. Eris and her daughters were such a group and I sought out a god and goddess I felt I could trust. Artemis and Apollo. It took a long time to win their trust and it was not until Apollo agreed to train my cousin and Artemis invited me on a hunt that I knew that I had won them over. In time I confided my fears in them and they agreed to come and try to help if they could. It was a fortunate alliance." He fell silent again and shifted a little as the exhaustion he had fought to keep at bay threatened to overwhelm him.

"Stay here if you wish to, raise our child in this castle and he will want for nothing, not father, not mother nor love, he shall have all that he will need or desire, I promise you this." She nodded, tears in her eyes as she rose, seeing that he was tired from their moments of such total honesty and lacking in the strength or the will to argue any longer. She walked to the door and moved to open it before another thought stopped her.

"Jareth?" He grunted in reply. "If we could put the last four months behind us, from the moment that I left you and put everything in so much danger. If we could forget it all happened that way, could we start again?" He did not turn and she was grateful for it, because then he would have seen how vulnerable she was in that moment. He would have seen her fears and perhaps worse, her heart.

"No, Sarah, we cannot forget, and even though I know why and understand, I cannot forgive, the pain is too raw, too fresh." She nodded even though he could not see it and left.

"I understand," she whispered as she closed the door behind her.

"Perhaps you do," he muttered as he retired to his bed, "and perhaps, with enough time, I will be able to do at least a part of what you ask."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Nearly five months later, Sarah was delivered of a daughter. Artemis herself was the midwife for the birth, now a firm friend of both Jareth and Sarah, Ilyi in attendance to them. Jareth sat next to Sarah on the bed, leant against the pillows, his arm about the shoulders of the exhausted woman as she held their child, gazing down at the tiny thing with so much love that he thought his heart would burst from the weight of it all. That such a perfect, tiny thing could come from all of the pain and turmoil was the greatest of all miracles to him and he absently smoothed Sarah's damp hair as they sat together, looking into the large, brilliant blue eyes of their daughter. He turned his gaze from babe to mother and was surprised that the jolt of pain was no longer there, had to admit that it had been a long time since he had felt it as anything more than a memory. Instead he felt something like the overwhelming love for his daughter fill him as he looked at Sarah, _his_ Sarah, and he knew that given time, he would feel the same way for her.

"I forgive you," he whispered, "I forgave you long ago," he kissed her forehead, touching his child's perfect, tiny hands, with one of his own. "I love you." He muttered then, not sure whether he was saying it to one, the other or even both.

"I love you too," Sarah muttered, leaning closer to him and in that moment it did not matter _who_ he had said it to, because he knew it was true of both of them.

Fin

_Happy dance! It's finished and don't you just love the cliche ending. As a note, Artemis was always my favourite greek goddess and that's why I took her name as a part of my pen name. Concequently the temptation, and reluctance, to use her in a fic was always quite strong, I'm sure you understand why. Anyway, she's been used now, this fic was the perfect place for it and all of the research I did into my favourite goddess as a child paid off (finally), not only was she a patron goddess of virgins, she was also one of midwives, the legend even says that she assisted in the birth of Apollo (think of that what you will!), along with the usual, so, yeah, I had a lot of fun there, Anyway, R&R and until we meet again._

_Artemis_


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